Empire State of Mind
by BabyPups Whitlock
Summary: A class trip to NYC leads to some...interesting developments AH/AU/ Non-canon.   Tied for 2nd place in the voters choice category of the Fanficaholics Anon 100 pics contest.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Empire State of Mind

Penname(s): Puppymama0909

Fandom: Twilight

Pairing(s): Jasper/Bella

Picture #:92

Rating: M

Disclaimer: Twilight and all of its characters and situations belong to Stephanie Meyer; if they were mine they would be having a lot more….fun. I own nothing and am making nothing off of this piece. All songs belong to their respective artists.

Summary: Who knew a trip to New York City could be so life changing? AU/AH/non cannon.

Submitted for the 100 Pictures—An Anon Fanfic Competition

Please check out the other entries here: http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/100_Pictures_An_Anon_Fanfic_Competition_Entries/83603/

Bella POV

I took a deep breath of the fresh, cool air, inhaling the slight saltiness and sighing softly. This trip was Charlie's way of placating me. He had been out at the reservation almost non-stop for the last few months, leaving me home alone. That wasn't such a big deal to me since I preferred it that way.

The class trip to New York was supposed to be educational. Ha! I knew for a fact most of my peers were only interested in hooking up and getting trashed. That wasn't exactly my scene. The ferry out to the Statue of Liberty seemed like the lesser of two evils compared to a walk around Times Square and a tour of the NBC studios.

Leaning against the front of the ferry, I closed my eyes and tilted forward as far as I could. I enjoyed the feel of the wind whipping through my long, dark hair. Being there I could lose myself, no thoughts, no worries just me, the wind and the water. That is, until the voice cut through my peace and quiet.

"Don't lean too far forward there, sweetheart. We wouldn't want a cute thing like you falling over now."

I turned around to face the direction the voice had come from and had to fight the urge to roll my eyes at the two meat heads leaning against the hood of gold 1989 Lincoln Town Car.

"A cute little thing likes me, huh?" My voice had an edge of tension. I wasn't in the mood for any bullshit today.

"That's right, sweetie," the taller of the two goons said. He pushed himself up off the car and headed in my direction, not so suavely raking his eyes

over my form. "Do you have a name there, girlie?"

"Marie," I lied. There was no way in hell I was telling this sleaze my real name.

"Well, hello, Miss Marie," he said with a leer. I bit back a grimace, looking around quickly to see if there was any easy way out of this predicament.

"Goodbye," I stated coldly as I slid by him quickly, heading for the inside waiting room.

"Where you going Marie? We're not done here," the second guy, who closely resembled a cross between a hobbit and David the Gnome said, stepping in front of me. Shit.

"I was, ah, I just..." I glanced around looking for any way to get out of there.

"There you are, darlin'," a strong, soft voice drawled from behind me and I felt strong arms encircle my waist.

My senses were overwhelmed by the smell of cigarette smoke and sage, and I stood ramrod straight, desperate not to touch the unknown man behind me.

"Relax chere," the new stranger whispered into my ear, and I obeyed. I relaxed into his comforting embrace, grateful he had taken pity on me. "I've been looking for you," he said as his strong arms tightened around my waist quickly before letting me go and grabbing my hand.

I gave a quick wave to Sleazy and the hobbit before following my rescuer inside.

"Ah, thanks," I stuttered once I was seated on the hard, cold, plastic bench.

"Don't mention it darlin'," my new friend said.

He turned to face me for the first time, and I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. Good God he was beautiful. Thick, wavy, blond hair, topped off by a grey fedora, hung down to his collar, a cigarette tucked behind his ear. His sparkling, hazel eyes gleamed at me and his full lips were twisted into a slight smirk. My eyes took in his weathered leather jacket, white t-shirt, beat up jeans and scuffed black converse that matched my own. Jesus Christ on a Popsicle! The only thing missing was suspenders and I'd be in a puddle on the floor.

"Hello?" he gave me a knowing smirk. I had obviously been caught staring, and my cheeks grew redder.

"I'm sorry what?" I shook my head a bit, trying to regain some composure.

"I asked you your name darlin'. Twice," he smiled. His hazel eyes twinkled as they met my brown ones, and I felt myself warm even more and I felt the warmth in my cheeks spreading again.

"I, I'm Isabella. Bella, that is. Bella Swan." Fuck. I was stuttering again. I reached out with a slightly shaking hand.

"Isabella, is it? Well, Miss Isabella, pleased to meet you. I'm Jasper, Jasper Whitlock." His words had a drawl, and I felt my knees weaken a bit.

Jasper Whitlock. I was in deep trouble.

"Likewise," I stated, forcing myself to keep my voice stable and dropping his warm, rough hand. "Um, thanks for your help out there. I wasn't sure..."

"No thanks necessary, ma'am," he interrupted, slightly tipping his hat. "Glad I could be of service. So, Miss Isabella," my knees quivered slightly at the

phrase, "what brings you to New York?"

"My father is trying to make up for never being around by sending me away," my tone was even, there was no reason to sound upset because I wasn't. "It's my senior trip," I clarified.

"Same here," my companion replied. "I'm glad I'm here - it's significantly cooler than Galveston." He tipped his head out toward the grey, overcast skies and slight drizzle.

"I can imagine. It's actually just like this at home. I'm from Forks, Washington," I said. I could feel Jasper watching me as I pushed my black hood off my head and ran my fingers through my dark, windblown tresses.

"Do you like it there?" His voice held genuine interest, and I bit back my surprise.

"I do, actually. It's a small town, nothing much happens there. It's quiet, and it suits me." I tried to hold back a smile at the memory of my lifelong home.

"Must be nice. I've lived all over. My family has been in Galveston the longest, though. I suppose you could say it's the closest I've had to a home." There was a hint of sadness in his eyes as he spoke, and he smiled at me. "So what did you do to earn the attention of New York's finest out there?" He asked, gesturing to David and Sleazy sitting in the drizzle on the Town Car.

"I have no idea," I replied honestly. "I seem to have a knack for finding trouble," I shrugged indifferently.

Jasper laughed loudly, and I caught my breath. The sound was surprisingly musical. I enjoyed it, and smiled at him.

"That seems like a bit of an understatement there darlin'."

A mischievous twinkle had returned to his eyes and I had to force myself to look away from him.

"It just may be," I stated simply, "It just may be."

Glancing back out, I saw that we had nearly approached our destination, and the boat was beginning to dock as the rain picked up.

"Should we go?" I waited for his response, but he was looking at me quizzically. "What? Is there something in my hair?" I raked my hands through the damp strands again, mentally cursing their length and heft.

"Here," he pulled his fedora off and plopped it on my head at an angle. I opened my mouth to protest but he interrupted, "Trust me, chere; you'll need it more than I will." He winked at me and grinned.

"Well, thank you," I said, internally kicking myself at the stupidity of the phrase, and quickly plaited my hair tucking the mess of it below the hat.

"Shall we, chere?" Jasper stood at the door, holding it open for me, and grinning.

"I think we shall," I grinned and headed back onto the deck, Jasper following close behind.

"So, Miss Isabella, what's your favorite song?" The question came out of the blue as Jasper and I sat, once again, on the hard orange benches on the ferry ride back after leaving the Statue of Liberty.

"My favorite song?" I parroted, taken aback slightly. "Ah...hmmm. That's a good one." I racked my brain and could not think of the answer. I had always loved music of all kinds, and to pick my favorite would be quite a chore. "Can I have some time to think about that one?" I asked shyly.

"Of course," Jasper replied with a grin. "Mine? Dy'er Maker, no contest."

"Really?" I was surprised. "Led zeppelin? I figured you for more of a country boy."

Jasper smiled at me, "Now, now, it's not nice to judge a book by its cover," he teased and, once again, I felt the heat rise into my cheeks.

"I wasn't...I just..." Dammit! I was stuttering again. Fuck all.

My embarrassment was met by deep, throaty laughter. "Oh, darlin', you are adorable," he winked, and I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Can I give you a top five?"

"Of course, let's hear it," he said, settling himself into the chair and looking at me intently.

"_Piece of my Heart, Hey, Jupiter, Sweet Jane _– Lou Reed not Cowboy Junkies, the _Darling Nikki _cover by Foo Fighters, and _Closer. _That's my top five, for right now anyway," I smiled, satisfied with my answers.

He let out a low whistle, "Janis Joplin, Tori Amos, Lou Reed, Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails. I must say, I'm surprised, my dear."

"Why?" I fought to keep the surprise out of my voice that he had pegged all five artists.

"That is an eclectic, and great, list, but I'll be honest, I was expecting something a little more...current," he challenged.

"Please," I scoffed. "I wouldn't listen to seventy five percent of the crap on the radio today." I was blunt, but my opinions on music were strong; I was very passionate about it. I was lost if I were ever without my iPod.

"Explain, love," Jasper encouraged, his eyes sparkling.

"Explain what? My choices?" He nodded slightly, his blond waves falling forward over his eyes. My hands itched to tuck them behind my ears, but I reluctantly controlled myself and began justifying my answers

"My mom, Renee," I began, "she was a...free spirit. Saturday mornings in my house growing up were cleaning days," I smiled at the memory. "Renee would put in Janis Joplin's greatest hits, and we'd get to business. I always cleaned the kitchen while she'd start in the living room. By the time we got to _Piece of My Heart,_ I'd be doing the dishes as she swept. She always sang into the top of the broom. She'd loose the dustpan, every time! Something about Janis's voice, it's so pure and real," I had gotten lost in the memory and started to babble. "Sorry-I'm rambling."

"No, please continue, I like hearing you talk."

"Ah- okay. _Hey Jupiter_...um...it really hit home for me. I've always felt kind of...lost and that song seemed so real to me, all of Tori Amos' stuff does actually. She is so talented. Anyone who can play two pianos at once is amazing, not to mention the depth of her lyrics." Jasper was watching me intently, nodding slightly. "_Sweet Jane_? Who can argue with Lou Reed? His voice is amazing; he was so ahead of his time, almost haunting. My dad, Charlie, loves him. It's kind of amusing. Let's see..._Darling Nikki, t_he song itself is so ahead of its time and so charged. Don't get me wrong, I love Prince, but the Foo Fighters cover, the rawness of the guitars...unreal." My eyes were closed and I could hear the music in my head.

"Very true, darlin'." his husky voice cut through my thoughts, and my eyes popped open.

"Sorry, I get a little lost sometimes." I gave him a small smile.

"No apologies necessary. So what about Closer?" he teased with a wink.

"It's Nine Inch Nails," I stated simply. "The beat, Trent Reznor's voice, God, the lyrics - it's the total package. I mean, the song is pure sex," I grinned at him, very surprised to see his eyes widen slightly.

"Well, you're right about that," he mumbled.

The boat docked, and as we meandered onto solid ground, my clumsiness got the better of me. I tripped over a loose stone in the sidewalk and careened towards the ground.

"Fuck," I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut in preparation for the inevitable collision with the ground. Instead, I felt Jasper's very strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me back until I was flush against his very hard, very warm body. I watched the fedora tumble off my head and felt my hair cascade down about both our shoulders.

"Whoa there darlin'," Jasper's voice was soft in my ear, and I could feel the warmth of his breath on my neck causing me to tense immediately, my spine going ramrod straight.

_Oh bloody hell._ I bit back a moan. _My scheming hormones will not get the better of me._ I could feel him smile against my hair and chuckle.

"Ah-I- thanks," I sputtered.

God, you're a stupid girl.

"Of course, Bella, I wouldn't have let you fall, no worries." His arms tightened as he spoke, and I sighed slightly, relaxing against him. "You alright there?" He asked, his voice husky and his drawl more pronounced, as a hand snaked down to rest against my hip.

"Y-yes, I'm fi-,"

"Bella!" my words were cut off by a tinkling voice calling my name. Alice. Shit she had terrible timing. I shook my head slightly and turned to face her, as did Jasper. I smiled as I saw my petite friend stop in her tracks and take in the scene in front of her - me, clumsy little Bella, being held up by, not to mention against, a tall, blond, gorgeous man. Alice's eyes sparkled, and a smile graced her red painted lips. I swear her little elfin face lit up with excitement. Fucking Alice. I could feel the heat rising into my cheeks again as she fluttered over to us.

"Sorry," I muttered to Jasper, squirming slightly to release myself from his grip. I heard a low moan in his chest and froze.

"Sorry darlin,'" he muttered, his voice low and sweet in my ear, squeezing me tighter quickly before loosening his grip and allowing me to step out of his warm embrace.

I frowned slightly at the loss of warmth before I was hit by a tiny torpedo loaded with shopping bags causing me to stumble back slightly, Jasper's hands grasping my waist firmly to keep me from toppling into him again.

"You have a lot to tell me, Bella," Alice's words were whispered into my ear, before pulling back and smiling brightly up at Jasper who stood a good foot taller than her. "Hello," she grinned, thrusting her hand out, "I'm Alice Brandon, Bella's best friend. And you are?"

"I'm Jasper Whitlock ma'am," he grinned at her before taking her tiny had, and fuck all if I didn't swoon

"Well, Jasper Whitlock, aren't you a gentleman," she winked at me. "Although, I am far too young to be a ma'am."

"Forgive me, southern manners," he released her hand and, glancing at me, winked. He was going to be the death of me.

"You're forgiven," her voice was playful. "So how do you know my Bella here?"

Alice linked her arm through mine and we meandered to a nearby bench, Jasper following just a pace behind. Alice pulled me down next to her, making sure to leave plenty of room on my other side the aggravating little pixie. Jasper sat next to me, barely brushing my leg with his.

"We met on the boat. I gave Bella a hand out of a difficult situation." Thank God he was good with words. I'd never hear the end of it if she heard the whole story. I was sure she'd drag it out of me in time, though. Alice shot her caramel eyes between the two of us suspiciously; she knew there was more to this story.

"Well, Jasper," Alice said, her voice tinkling with mischief, "Bella, our friend Edward and I are going out to dinner tonight, would you care to join us?" This girl was unbelievable!

He glanced over to me before responding. "I'd be pleased to, Miss Alice," he grinned his sexy half smirk at me.

Wait, sexy? What the fuck?

"If Bella doesn't mind that is," he directed his statement at me.

I shook myself out of my thoughts. "Of course not. That'd be nice," I managed to spit the sentence out without stuttering. Woo-fucking-hoo!

"Great!" Alice jumped up and pulled me to my feet. "Seven o'clock. Do you mind meeting us at our hotel?" her words tumbled out quickly.

"Seven is great, I can meet you there. Sheraton Hotel and Towers?" he questioned, casting a glance at me, as we had compared our accommodations on the boat.

"Yes indeed, sir." Alice grinned.

"Would you mind if I brought some friends? My cousin and sister are staying with me," Jasper gave a sheepish smile.

"No indeed! The more the merrier," Alice gave a sweet smile. "We need to get going- girl stuff you know!" Alice winked at him, and Jasper gave that damn sexy chuckle again.

"Of course," he smiled at her and looked over at me, cocking his head. I glanced at Alice and she gave me a small push towards him and, once again, I careened into him as his arms wrapped around my waist stabilizing me. I could feel my face flaming.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," he muttered into my ear, brushing my hair back off his shoulder. Before I could open my mouth, he placed his fedora on my head, and said, "It looks better on you." He picked up my hand and scrawled his number on my palm before placing a quick kiss on my knuckles. "See you tonight, Miss Bella," he winked again and walked away. I stood there speechless like an idiot.

"Holy shit Bella!" Alice's voice was high and excited and she skipped over to me, pulling on my arm.

"What Alice?" I snapped out of it and looked over at her.

"What Alice?" She mimicked me with a smirk. "I'll tell you what, Miss Bella," she deliberately drawled the words "That boy is beautiful. Beau-ti-ful. And that accent? Holy shit, I almost melted, I can't imagine the effect it must have on you."

"Fuck Alice," I muttered.

"Shush, I'm not done," she chastised me playfully. "He likes you baby, like, a lot. And I know you like him so don't deny it," she said firmly. Alice pulled me back in the direction of the hotel. I followed; it was all I could do. "We, my dear, have quite the evening in front of us. I knew that that dress I bought you would come in handy," she grinned.

"Dress? What? Alice you did-"

"Stop interrupting, Bella! Yes I bought you a dress. Yes, I got you shoes. Yes, you will be borrowing jewelry. I'm going to have fun with you tonight. You'll be my little Bella Barbie!" Her eyes were bright and her cheeks flushed. Alice did love a makeover. I knew better than to argue with her when she got like that. It was always easier to just sit back and wait until she was done. "I can't wait to tell Edward!" she squealed. We were practically sprinting back to the hotel, where our friend waited.

Oh shit, what the hell was I getting into?

Bottle, jars, cases and creams covered every available surface in the large bathroom. It looked like a Sephora store had blown up in there. In fact, it was just Alice. I closed my eyes to the cloud of hairspray she was covering me with and tried not to breathe.

In the last hour, she had tucked, plucked, pulled, curled, pinned and painted me beyond comprehension. And she refused to let me look in the mirror. The little pixie had covered every available reflective surface with towels, blankets and even the shower curtain. This girl LOVED drama.

"Okay," Alice stated, placing the can down on the cluttered counter. "Let me get your outfit." She disappeared in a flash and, I'm sure, went into the closet. I heard a knock on the door and a muffled 'come in' from Alice. Edward! Thank god! Maybe he could talk some sense into her.

"Edward, help!" I called playfully from the bathroom. The door closed with a thump and heavy footfalls headed in my direction.

"Edward Anthony Mason, don't you dare go into that bathroom, or so help me God, I will break your fingers!" Alice's voice was firm, and Edward's musical laugh rang out as I heard the bed springs creak with his weight as he sat.

"Sorry, Bells, I think the sprite is serious," he was barely able to contain his laughter. Traitor.

"Thank you, honey. My, you look amazing," I heard Alice give an exaggerated kiss and then they both laughed.

"As do you, Ali," his smooth voice replied. She did too, with her tiny form wrapped in magenta chiffon, sparkling stones decorating the shoulder straps and the edges of the cutout sides and back. Strappy, black, sky-high heels were on her teeny, tiny feet, and dangling, black earrings hung from her tiny ears. Her face was perfectly made up - black smoky eyes, shimmery cheeks and shiny pink lips. Her black hair was perfectly disarrayed. In short? She looked amazing, as always. She looked at me like her own personal doll whenever she had the chance, which was often. I couldn't say no to her, no one could. She swept back into the bathroom carrying bags and boxes.

"Here," she said, handing me a dress bag and a tiny bag from La Perla. Oh shit. "Put these on, no complaining," Alice didn't even leave the room, just turned her back to me. I sighed and complied, looking into the tiny bag first and groaning. Edward burst out laughing.

"Did she buy you underwear again, Bells?" he could barely get the words out for laughing.

"Shut up, Eddie!" I growled, purposely using the dreaded shortened version of his name. The laughter ceased immediately. Good. I sighed and pulled the scraps of material from the bag, not even commenting on the lacy, plum-coloured strapless bra or ridiculous, matching briefs. I knew better. Quickly struggling into the garments, I unzipped the dress bag revealing a beautiful, lake blue, strapless, chiffon cocktail dress with a lovely twisted bodice and empire waist. It was breathtaking. I grinned at my friend and stepped into the soft fabric, turning so Alice could zip it.

She clapped her hands and squealed with delight, "Okay, sit! Jewelry." She produced a tiny box and removed a beautiful pair of silver earrings shaped like cherry blossom branches that sparkled with tiny white stones and a matching necklace.

I gasped at their beauty, "Alice, they are lovely!" I gently touched the pendant that lay at my throat.

"You can thank Daddy," she grinned, referring to her multimillionaire, music producer father. "And the final touch..." she produced a pair of silver strappy heels from behind her back.

"Alice, you know I can't wear those! I'll fall and break something!" My clumsiness was legendary back home. Most of the emergency room doctors knew me on sight, and I swear I caught the PA's playing rock, paper, scissors over who was going to treat me once.

"Don't worry, sweetie, didn't Jasper promise not to let you fall?" her tone was mischievous as she strapped the shoes to my feet. I fought the urge to blush.

"Who's Jasper?" Edward called, suspicion in his voice. He treated Alice and I a bit like sisters and was very protective of anyone who came near either of us. Alice had no problem fending for herself and told, not to mentioned showed, him so. Fortunately with me, he had very little to worry about.

"You'll see," Alice sang. "Now stand up," she ordered me and I obeyed. "Edward, come see our little girl."

His handsome face popped around the door jamb, unruly bronze locks pointing every which way. He was one of the most beautiful men I had ever seen. Alice and I seemed to be the only two females in Forks immune to his charms, maybe because we had known him since we were all in diapers.

"Wow, Bells...you look amazing," he smiled at me after taking in my appearance.

"Thank you, so do you."

My friend was dressed in head to toe black with a blue tie that matched his eyes. As usual, he looked perfect. "Alice?" he asked.

"You know it. She is my shopping fairy."

Edward grabbed the aforementioned girl and kissed the top of her head.

"Okay, Bella," she squirmed out of his arms, "close your eyes." The girl was practically vibrating, and I obliged. I heard the soft whoosh of fabric being pulled off the mirror. "Okay, open them!"

I was shocked, to say the least. I don't know how Alice did it, but my unruly, tangled, dark hair cascaded down my back in soft curls, pulled back from my face by the sparkling, cherry blossom barrettes that matched the rest of the jewelry ensemble. My skin looked flawless and glowing, my dark eyes were emphasized by soft grey shadow and liner, the dark fringe of lashes longer and fuller than usual. My lips were painted a soft, sheer, shiny berry, and I was shocked. Her dress hugged my curves without being too tight and stopped a few inches above my knees. I looked...beautiful.

"You like?" her voice was teasing.

"You know I do. Alice, this is all too much. I don-" she cut me off again.

"Trust me, it'll be worth it," she leaned closer to my ear, "Jasper will love it." I could feel the heat rush into my cheeks.

"Perfect, a little color is just what you needed," she winked and pulled my hand. "Let's go, we don't want to keep him waiting!"

I sighed and followed her out of the bathroom, giving Edward a hug on the way out.

"Come on!" She grabbed her tiny black bag, stuffing our ID's, some cash and the key card inside. She opened the door and waved her hands at us, "Scoot!" Edward and I obeyed, exiting the room and following her into the elevator. "Edward, I want you to be nice to Jasper and his friends, do you understand?"

What Alice lacked in size, she more than made up for in temper, and Edward nodded. She grabbed my hand and practically pulled me across the lobby, Edward's laugh ringing out behind us.

I took a deep breath as we stepped out of the doors, thankful for the cool night air. I closed my eyes and inhaled, trying to calm my frazzled nerves.

"Holy shit, Bella!" Alice's voice was soft, and I snapped my eyes open to look at her.

"What?" I asked, studying her face and bemused smile. She pointed a perfectly manicured finger behind me and tilted her head in the same direction. I turned and was almost struck dumb. Jasper leaned against a wall, one leg bent and his converse clad foot propped against the other. A light green shirt, that I swear to God, matched his eyes, was tucked into perfectly fitting black jeans. A loose, black tie and jacket topped the shirt. I smiled as I saw the black hat placed strategically atop his honey blond hair. He grinned at me and winked. Fuck he caught me staring - again. I silently cursed my circulatory system and turned back to Alice, who was grinning madly at me. She was going to be no help. I looked over at Edward, and he had a look that matched hers. I fucking hated my friends.

"What do I do?" I whispered harshly.

"About what darlin'?" I jumped again at the soft voice from behind me and glared at them before turning around to face Jasper.

"Ah, nothing," I stated firmly. "Hi." Fucking lame.

"Hello, Miss Isabella," he smiled at me and took my hand, pressing a light kiss on the inside of my wrist.

_Holy fucking shit! I. Will. Not. Pass. Out. _

"You look beautiful," he drawled, and again I blushed. Fuck!

"Thank you. You look very nice yourself," I smiled shyly.

"Thank you," he tipped his hat slightly and looked over to Alice. "Hello there, Alice, you look lovely, if I do say so myself," he smiled at her lazily.

"Thank you, Jasper," she beamed at him. "You look wonderful. That color is perfect on you," she brazenly appraised him from head to toe, wrinkling her tiny nose up at his Converse.

"Hey, don't dis the Chucks," he grinned, and she playfully pouted.

"You must be Jasper," Edward's voice broke through my thoughts.

"Yes, Jasper Whitlock," he smiled and offered his hand to Edward, who shook it firmly.

"Edward Masen, pleased to meet you."

"Like wise," he grinned and released Edward's hand and casually dropped an arm over my shoulders.

"So, Rosalie and Emmett are waiting for us at the restaurant," Jasper began as we started down the street.

"Who are they again?" Alice's voice perked up from just behind us.

"My twin sister, Rosalie, and my cousin Emmett. They came up with me from Galveston," the explanation was simple. "They arrived early just to assure the reservation."

"I can't wait to meet them!" Alice was quite the social butterfly and dominate the conversation for the rest of the five block walk to the restaurant.

When we arrived, Jasper held the door for both Alice and myself and smiled as Edward followed us in.

"My, my, Bells," Edward's voice was teasing in my ear," you did good, didn't you?"

"Shut up," I growled, not so gently musing his hair, the only thing that would even begin to bother him. Sadly, no matter how much he, or anyone else mused it, it always looked great. Sex hair, Alice called it. I suppose she was right.

"Ready?" Jasper had appeared behind us again after speaking with the maitre d'. We followed him to an area toward the back of the restaurant, a wall that was dominated by booths surrounded by luxurious, burgundy, velvet privacy curtains. The tuxedoed gentleman pulled aside the curtain, and Alice and Edward ascended the three stairs to the platform. I made the first two with no problem before my fucking dreaded heel caught on the third. I felt myself going forward again and sighed when Jasper's hands closed around my waist, pulling me back up.

"I've got you darlin','" the words were whispered into my ear, and I managed to regain my composure long enough to finish ascending the stairs, feeling four sets of eyes on me. I fought a blush and calmed when I felt Jasper's hand rest gently against the small of my back.

"Bella, Edward, Alice - this is my sister, Rosalie Whitlock, and my cousin, Emmett McCarty. Rose, Em – this is Bella, Alice and Edward," Jasper gestured to each of us in turn. I was slightly awed by the two people in front of me, both of whom were amazingly good looking.

Emmett was one of the biggest guys I had ever seen. Brown, curly hair topped his head, and he was a good foot taller than me when he stood to greet us. He had a huge smile with amazing dimples.

"Pleased to meet you all, I'm Emmett," he grinned and shook hands with Edward, Alice and myself in turn before winking at Jasper.

"Very nice, bro," he whispered towards him.

"Jesus, Emmett," Rosalie's voice rang out, soft yet commanding, "have a little class." Rosalie stepped out from behind the table and offered her hand to each of us. "I'm Rosalie, please ignore Emmett, we all do." She smiled at us, and I was slightly dazzled. Rosalie was absolutely beautiful. Her platinum blonde hair hung down to her waist in soft waves. Her beautiful face and figure reminded me of a movie star from the forties, and the black dress she wore hugged and accentuated her curves. Sparkling orange citrons hung at her ears and throat, matching the ring on her finger. I glanced at Edward and saw a look of admiration in his eyes.

"Why don't we all sit?" Jasper drawled, and we all complied. I watched as Edward slid in next to Rosalie, followed by tiny Alice and then Emmett. I sat on Rosalie's other side and gasped slightly as Jasper sat next to me, his denim clad leg pressed against my bare one.

_Jesus, keep control of yourself._

"Shall we?" Edward opened the menu.

"Of course, dude," Emmett's smile as he responded was infectious, and we all laughed. It was a great start.

An hour later we all sat, appetites happily sated, eating dessert. Emmett and Alice were sharing an order of profiteroles. The tiny pixie had easily charmed him in a matter of minutes. I could tell from the adoring gaze he sent her, he was head over heels for my friend, and she wasn't too far behind. They were adorable. Beside them Rosalie and Edward talked quietly over coffee.

Edward was no stranger to the ladies, as Alice teased him about constantly, but he seemed to have met his match with Rosalie. She didn't fall for any of his usual tricks. If I didn't know better, I'd think my bronze haired friend was looking forward to the challenge. And they looked beautiful together, too. Edward looked up at me, as if he could sense I was thinking about him, and smiled quickly before returning to Rosalie. I sipped my water and sighed. I had absolutely no room for dessert after my Portobello ravioli, the meal was scrumptious and I had eaten way too much. The same could not be said for Jasper, however. My companion was very happily eating a divine looking strawberry and goat cheese creme brulee that I eyed with envy. He caught my eye and smirked.

"Like what you see darlin'?" he teased.

"Yes, actually, that looks delicious," I grinned and gestured to his dessert.

"Would you like to try it?" his eyes gleamed, and he gestured with his spoon. I nodded and reached for my spoon, stopping when he placed his large hand over mine. "Unh-uh," he shook his head and scooped some of the creamy treat onto his spoon, bringing it to my lips. I bit my lip quickly before opening my mouth. I closed my mouth around the cool spoon and closed my eyes before he pulled it out. Oh my god. This was quite possibly the best thing I had ever tasted. The cool flavors erupted on my tongue, and I swallowed, moaning softly and savoring my treat. The clattering of Alice's spoon startled me out of my reverie, and I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by the stares and bemused smiles of the other people at the table.

"That good, huh, Bells?" Emmett waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Alice, Edward and Rosalie all laughed softly. My cheeks flamed, and I instinctively turned towards Jasper. He had a small smile on his lips and his eyes were dark as I buried my face in his neck. He chuckled softly and wrapped his arm tighter around my shoulders.

"No worries, cher," he muttered into the top of my head. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

I nodded slightly and sat up, my cheeks still pink and looked around the table.

"Pink's a good color on you, Bells!" Emmett's cheerful voice thundered through the silence.

I sat at bit taller and smiled, "Thank you, Emmett," I said with a smile and a wink.

Jesus, I was feeling bold.

"That's my girl," the words were drawled into my ear, and I grinned.

"That was the best meal I have had in ages," Alice smiled, the tiny little thing had eaten more than any of us.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Jasper winked at her.

"Are y'all ready?" Rosalie's voice was musical as she asked the simple question.

"I think so," Emmett looked around the table. "Looks like it." He stood and said, "Lets get out of here, this tie is strangling me."

Everyone laughed loudly. As direct as Emmett was he was also honest and sweet. I liked Jasper's cousin instantly.

"The bill?" Alice said, rummaging around in her purse.

"No need darlin', it's all set," Jasper's voice was reassuring but firm.

Alice shot him a dazzling smile, "Thanks, sweetie!" She bounced up and pulled Emmett out of the booth with her.

"Come on y'all," He called from his way down the platform, Edward and Rose close behind them. I smiled and stood, following Jasper out of the building. The chilly air startled me, and I shivered slightly, my bare arms prickling with goose bumps.

"Cold Bella?" Jasper looked down at me.

"A bit," I answered honestly, and I suddenly had his jacket draped over my shoulders. I could smell sage and spice and cigarettes. It smelled just like him. "Thank you," I smiled brightly up at him and impulsively gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

_Oh shit, what did I just do? _

My actions were witnessed by our companions, Emmett and Alice laughing loudly. I met Jasper's eyes, and they were looking down at me intensely.

"Oh, Christ," I muttered, "I'm sorry, Jasper. I don't know-" I was silenced by a gentle finger on my lips.

"Bella, please don't ever apologize for that."

I nodded softly and we resumed our walk, catching up to the rest of our group in a moment.

Emmett was laughing loudly, and Alice was wiping tears from her eyes as Edward and Rosalie looked on, amused smiles on both their faces.

"Stupid, laughing pixie," I muttered under my breath, causing Alice to laugh even more. Emmett dropped an arm over my shoulders on top of Jasper's.

"Jazz, man, I like her! I think she's the first girl I've ever heard apologize for kissing your sorry ass," he grinned and clapped Jasper on the back.

"I'm thrilled, Em," Jasper's voice was dry.

"Bells, you are great!" Emmett reached to ruffle my hair slightly, stopping short at Alice's shriek.

"Emmett, so help me God, you better not touch that hair!" Her eyes were fiery, voice firm and hands planted on her hips. Oh, this was going to be good.

"Whatcha gonna do, pixie?" he challenged with a grin.

Alice's eyes narrowed and Edward caught my gaze, smiling at me and gesturing towards a bench. He knew we were in for a show. I glanced at Jasper and slipped my hand into his as we sat next to Rose and Edward, watching the scene before us unfold.

"This should be good," I whispered, snuggling closer to Jasper and enjoying his warmth.

Alice stared intently at the much larger man in front of her.

"Come on pixie, whatcha got?" Emmett was taunting my friend mercilessly. Little did he know what he was up against.

Alice smiled and sauntered forward toward him. "Now, Em, it's not nice to call me names," she pouted slightly as she spoke.

"Like I said, PIXIE," he drew the word out, overly enunciating it, "what are you gonna do about it?" His dimples were out in full force.

Alice stopped about a foot in front of him and stared.

"What's she gonna do?" Rosalie sounded confused.

"Just watch, there's no telling with Ali," Edward's voice was low, and I saw him wrap an arm around Rose's shoulders. The blond smiled softly, and I swear I saw her cheeks flush slightly.

_Good for Edward._ I was truly happy that my friend seemed to have someone he could enjoy spending time with, aside from his recreational bedroom escapades.

"Bells?" Alice's voice snapped me out of my reverie and I looked at her. "Catch!" She tossed both her shoes and her purse at me with no warning.

"Shit, Ali!" my response was quick, and I somehow managed to catch all three items flying towards me. Jasper chuckled softly.

"Awwww...wittle Ali can't get her shoes diwrty," Emmett's baby voice was hilarious, and we all chuckled.

Alice stood and glared at him, weighing her options. She took a step back, and I knew what she was going to do.

"This is going to be great," I whispered to Jasper.

"I've no doubt, cher."

Alice took a few more steps back and quickly sprang forward, jumping quickly and wrapping her arms around Emmett's neck before kissing him and wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Holy shit!" Jasper was laughing loudly along with Rose. Edward and i just chuckled, we had seen this several times before, although never on anyone so much bigger than Alice.

Emmet stood stunned for a moment before wrapping his arms around Alice and returning the kiss. I shifted towards Jasper, feeling slightly voyeuristic at the scene playing in front of us.

"You okay, Miss Bella?" Jasper was quiet.

"Yeah, I'm fine, no worries," I smiled up at him, and he squeezed my shoulder lightly.

"Holy shit, woman!" Emmett's voice rang through the small park, and Alice laughed.

"See, what'd I tell you?" Alice wriggled out of his grasp and hopped down landing gracefully with a little plie' and a wave to the rest of us. "So Emmett, are you sorry?" her tone was musical.

He nodded in agreement while looking on in adoration. Alice skipped over to me and grabbed her purse and shoes before leaning and hugging me. "Think you could find someone to stay with tonight, sweetie?" her voice was saccharine sweet, her eyes pleading.

"Fuck, yes," I grumbled. "Edward?" I looked over towards my friend to find him very deeply involved with Rose. She leaned up and whispered in his ear, and he smiled a dazzling smile.

"Sorry Bells," he grinned sheepishly.

That left...oh, fuck, I hated my friends. I swallowed hard and looked up to Jasper. "Um, can I, ah, that is-" stuttering like a fool and my cheeks flaming. Christ, I was pathetic.

Jasper met Alice's eyes. "I'll make sure she's okay, Alice. Go on ahead," he smiled. My friend squealed, bouncing slightly on her toes before kissing me and Jasper on the cheeks.

"Night darlings!" her voice tinkled off as she ran back to Emmett and jumped on his back.

"Later kids! Jasper!" Emmett's voice echoed throughout the small space and Jasper looked up at him. "Have fun, dude! Night, Bells!"

They meandered off, followed by Rose and Edward.

Why did I feel like I had been set up? I looked up and met Jasper's eyes.

"No worries, darlin', I'll take care of you," he smiled softly at me, and I felt my heart flutter. Oh, my.

Jasper and I walked slowly back towards his hotel, taking in the lights of the city. Jasper told me about growing up in Texas, and I simply listened. He had an amazing way with words and I really enjoyed listening to him.

_Admit it, Bells_, the little voice in my head taunted _that's not all you'd like to do to him_.

My mind raced with the possibilities as I admired him. God, I wanted to run my hands through that hair and...

"Bella?" Jaspers voice permeated my increasingly dirty thoughts, and I looked up to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry, what?" My cheeks were flaming, I could feel it.

"Penny for your thoughts, darlin?" his tone was teasing, but there seemed to be something else behind the words, something I couldn't place.

"Nothing," I shook my head slightly and studied my feet like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Like I said, darlin, we're here."

I looked up and we had indeed stopped walking in front of the large building. The doorman opened the door and Jasper placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me easily through lobby towards the raucous crowd of teenagers by the elevators.

"Shit," the curse was mumbled under his breath. "Sorry, Bella, please ignore them," his eyes were pleading.

"Of course," I gave him a reassuring smile and reached for his warm hand just as we reached the group, I was standing slightly behind him.

"Well, shit! Whitlock, where the hell have you been all night? We had a fucking blast!" the short blond kid's voice was extremely loud, and I could smell alcohol on his breath from where I was standing. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Sorry, Mike, I had plans," Jasper's voice was flat.

"S'okay, dude! Did you see Jess tonight? Man, she looks great. What I wouldn't do to- hey, there she is! Jess! Lauren!" the kid jumped up and down waving to some girls behind us.

"Fuck," the word was quiet, and I squeezed Jasper's hand softly as we turned.

Behind us stood two girls, one blonde and one brunette, wearing shiny, satin mini dresses and sky-high heels. The blonde squealed and stumbled slightly as she crossed the lobby, pulling the brunette in tow. Neither looked particularly sober.

"Jazzy!" The blonde stumbled into me, jostling me back a few feet as she and her friend squeezed in between Jasper and I. "Sorry," she sneered at me slightly, before flipping her blonde tresses at me and turning back to Jasper and Mike.

_What a sparkling personality._

Jasper pointedly ignored them, "You alright, Bella?" He reached for my hand and gently pulled me closer to him.

"I'm fine, don't worry," my voice was soft and reassuring.

"Jasper, aren't you going to introduce us to your new friend?" drunk Mike's voice was low and teasing.

"Not really, no," the reply was flat and detached.

"Well then, allow me. Hello," he reached his hand out to me, "I'm Mike Newton, a classmate of Jasper's. These lovely ladies are Jessica and Lauren," he gestured to the blonde and the brunette respectively.

I plastered a fake smile on my face. "Marie," I said in a saccharine voice.

Thank God for the elevator, the doors slid open just before Jasper took my hand.

"We should get on," I nodded toward the elevator, hoping my new found acquaintance would get the hint. Unfortunately, he was smarter than he looked, and we all piled into the tiny box. The ride was spent with Jasper and I in silence and the rest of the occupants babbling drunkenly. Jasper looked absolutely pained. We reached the fourth floor after what seemed like a year, and Jasper gently led me out.

"Night, Jasper, Marie. Have fun!" Mike was trying to sound suggestive but only ended up sounding like a scared cow. The other females were shooting daggers at my back, I could feel it.

I grinned slyly and slid my arms around Jaspers waist. "Don't worry, Mike, we will. Goodnight!" I gave a cheery wave just as the doors closed again.

Jasper looked at me in awe. "What the hell?" his words were tinged with laughter.

I shrugged, "They were glaring at me, and I didn't like it." I was pretty matter of fact. We walked down the hall, Jasper chuckling softly.

Stopping in front of room 413, Jasper pulled his key card and quickly unlocked the door before escorting me in and closing it softly behind me.

"Sorry about them, they're assholes."

"Jasper, please don't apologize for someone else. It's nothing, really," I smiled at him and started towards the desk chair. These fucking shoes were killing me. I made it about two steps before tripping over a black boot in the middle of the rug. Jasper's arm shot out and grabbed my left wrist, pulling me flush against his chest to steady me, his other arm wrapping around my waist. I bit my cheek to stifle the moan in my throat as our bodies pressed together.

"You okay?" his voice was husky, and I looked up to meet his eyes.

"Yeah," I muttered, flushing. "I'm sorry, these damn shoes." Pathetic excuse, I know.

"Miss Isabella," he drawled, "please don't apologize."

"Okay," I whispered, I couldn't look away from his eyes. God, he smelled good. He smiled down at me, and I licked my lips nervously, biting my bottom lip. I could hear a slight groan in his throat as he watched me, his eyes silently questioning. I nodded just barely and was met with his lips on mine.

Holy fuck!

His arm tightened around my waist, and the other gently wound its way into my hair as my own arms slipped around his neck. He gently ran his tongue across my bottom lip seeking entrance, which I quickly allowed. I gasped into his mouth - he tasted like mint and strawberries and sweet and fuckgood. My fingers wound their way into his soft gold hair, knocking his hat to the floor with a soft thud. God, he was an amazing kisser. My head started to swim, and I reluctantly pulled back, breathing heavily. I opened my eyes to meet his and blushed at what I found. He was panting slightly, his eyes were dark.

We stood for a moment in silence, and I sucked my bottom lip back between my teeth. Fucking nervous habit.

Jasper smiled, "Is it wrong that I've wanted to do that all night?"

I shook my head at him, "No." My voice was barely a whisper. He loosened his hold on my waist, and I felt me knees wobble.

"Let's get you out of those shoes, huh?" he grinned and led me over to the desk.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that the wobble had less to do with the shoes and more to do with the amazing kiss we had just shared. I plopped down gracelessly and unstrapped the horrible things before kicking them across the carpet with uncontainable glee.

Jasper sat on the bed across form me and smiled, "Feel better?"

"Much!" I grinned at him and was struck by the intensity of his gaze. "What?" I ran my hands over my hair.

"No, your hair is fine. You look beautiful," the words caused the heat to spring back into my cheeks, "even more so when you blush."

"Thanks," I fought with myself not to meet his eyes. I lost.

"Miss Bella, may I kiss you again?" the gentlemanly question surprised me.

"Please," I breathed. What the hell else was I going to say? No? Fuck that.

Jasper slid closer to me on the bed and gently pulled me into his lap. Our lips met quickly. Good God, he was addictive. I wound my fingers into his hair again and shivered as he hands ran up my arms, gently pushing his jacket off my shoulders and onto the floor, and I gasped as those same strong, calloused fingers ran across the bare skin of my back. I felt him smile against my mouth before he moved his lips down my jaw, to my neck. I moaned as he kissed my throat, tilting my head back instinctively, allowing him further access. His hands continued roaming over my back and through my hair as he gently rained kisses back up my neck and jaw. When he bit down gently, I nearly lost it.

"Jasper," the word was barely a whisper. He stopped his attentions to my throat and met my eyes.

"Yes love?" his voice was husky.

"I, don't, please?" the words were ridiculous, but he seemed to catch the drift and kissed me again, with more passion than I thought imaginable. His fingers lightly traced patters on the bare skin of my back, and it felt like it was on fire. I moaned again, and he smiled against my throat, gently raining kisses down my chest until he reached the top of my dress. He gently nuzzled there, his breath warm on my skin. My hands were running up and down his arms slowly as my mind wandered. God, I wanted to feel the warmth from his skin. I squirmed a bit, and he lifted his head up to look at me.

"Yes darlin'?" his eyes shone. I gave him a little smile and reached for his tie, fumbling slightly with the knot before pulling it off and tossing it behind us. My fingers toyed with the buttons on his shirt, my eyes questioning.

"Go ahead," he murmured, eyes closed.

I proceeded, slowly unbuttoning the shirt, my hands trembling just the slightest bit. I squirmed a bit trying to tug the offending material out of his jeans, and he stifled a groan, his hands tightening on my hips. I quickly froze. Jasper took a deep breath and loosened his grip.

"Go head darlin'," he nodded slightly, and I pulled the material free of his waist band, sliding it off his shoulders with a gasp.

Holy God, the man had a beautiful chest - golden kissed from the sun and perfectly sculpted. I swallowed hard and heard a chuckle.

"Like what you see love?"

Damn that fucking husky drawl. I had lost the ability to form words, so I just nodded.

"I'm glad sweetheart," he leaned up and caught my lips in a sweet kiss that quickly intensified, and I found myself running my nails up and down his bare back, crying out softly as he gently bit down on my lower lip. He met my gaze again, "Did you like that darlin?" His hazel eyes were sparkling and I nodded. "What was that? I couldn't hear you," his words were tinged with laughter, he was teasing me! God, I was enjoying him more every second. I leaned forward and shifted my weight slightly to meet his ear.

"Yes," my voice was breathy, and I knew I was panting. He stifled another groan in his throat and tightly pulled me against his chest.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing to me darlin'?" God, what a sexy voice.

"I- I think so," I could barely get the words out. My companion closed his eyes and sighed, leaning back away from me slightly before opening them. I swallowed hard.

"Oh, Miss Isabella," he gently stroked my cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I looked at him and gently chewed my lower lip. "Bella," he mumbled again into my hair.

**Three months later…..**

"Bella!" Alice's musical voice pierced through the rapidly thinning fog of my memories, and I tore my eyes from the photo of the Statue of Liberty I was staring stupidly at, looking up at her with wide eyes.

"Yes Ali?" my voice was sweet, and I knew my cheeks were flushed. I didn't really give a fuck.

"Edward and I," she gave our friend's arm a tug and pulled him over in front of me, "have a little present for you, for your trip." She grinned like a maniac, and Edward handed me a flat, white box tied with a pale green satin ribbon.

"You guys shouldn't have..."

"Don't start that, Bells, just open it," Edward teased me mercilessly, as he had lately, and I glared at him while I pulled the ribbon and lid off the box. I gasped at what was inside. A beautiful 4x4 mini photo album sat nestled in white tissue, the gleaming airport lights shining dimly off its polished silver cover, sparkling over the beautifully engraved cherry blossoms, a matching large frame was below it.

I sniffled and tried, in vain, to battle the tears that sprung to my eyes. "Dammit," I muttered, rising and pulling my friends into a tight hug. "You two are way too much. It's beautiful."

"You deserve it, Bells," Edward beamed down at me, "and now you have someplace to put those damn pictures you're lugging about. "

"Edward!" Alice snapped at him and mussed his hair.

"I'm just kidding, Bella, you know that." I nodded and he embraced me tightly. "You be safe sweets," he mumbled into the top of my head.

"I will, Edward, you know that," I gave him a lopsided grin and stepped back, looking at Alice who proceeded to wrap her arms around me.

"Call me when you get to Galveston, sweetie, you know I want to hear how things went."

I nodded, "Of course, Alice, I'm kind of afraid of what you'd do to me if I didn't." I grinned mischievously at her, before placing my gift into my black messenger bag and draping the item across my shoulder. I placed my dark grey fedora on my head, laughing at the purple ribbons Alice had tacked around it as a hat band. She had made almost two dozen in various colors.

"To match your outfit," she muttered by way of explanation. I wouldn't argue with her, despite the fact that half of the bands bared no resemblance to anything in my wardrobe.

"I've got to board," I bit back tears as I said goodbye to my best friends.

"Take care, baby, we love you, and we will see you when you get home," Edward's words were simple but full of promise.

"It'll work out, Bella, I know it." Alice gave me a mysterious smile and a quick hug.

I refused to cry anymore than I already had. I gave a small wave and headed towards security; refusing to look back at all I was leaving behind.


	2. The Morning After

**What I own: several pairs of amazingly awesome stripper heels, a meager book collection, a ton of make-up from Sephora, a filthy mouth and a bunch of Twilight DVD's**

**What I don't: Twilight itself. That belongs to SMeyer and, despite a strong physical resemblance, I'm not her. If Twilight were mine, there would be lots more…fun to be had. I'm making nothing off of this and no copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N This was beta'd by the AMAZING Beta-mom Clara Bella, who just makes me smile and fixes all of my excessive comma usage with her crazy beta skills. Major shout outs to my awesome ficwife Skychaser, my pre-readers busymommy and Hln3twimom , KD-Masen and all of the amazing ladies and gents over at the FFA and Going Under for the Third Time groups on Facebook….This story wouldn't exist without them, like, literally. Major shout outs to hobee1971 who made a GORGOUS banner for this piece…I still get tingles when I see it! I'm not below bribery and reviews will be rewarded with sneak peeks and possibly pole dances. Thanks for reading!**

The scent of coffee teased my nose, its rich aroma piercing through the thin veil of sleep I was clinging to. I fought valiantly against it, wanting desperately to remain in my dreams. Dreams that were dominated by a beautiful, blond cowboy with mischievous hazel eyes, a fucking hot smirk and long, strong fingers which were calloused from years of guitar playing. I gave a happy, contented sigh at the remembrance of just what, exactly, my dream guy had been doing with said fingers, and snuggled deeper into the soft white pillows.

"Good dreams, darlin'?"

The words pulled me out of sleep faster than a bucket of water from the Antarctic fucking ocean, and I shot up in the bed, looking around the elegant room for the speaker. I found him sitting in the desk chair across from me, faded, denim clad legs and bare feet tucked under him. A criminally fucking tight, white t shirt covered his chest, and a familiar, white and green cup nestled in his hand as he looked at me with a smile.

I opened and closed my mouth a few times as the memories of the prior evening came back to me in a rush- crème brulee, silk boxers, and wet panties and amazing, mind shattering-oh fuck me, it wasn't a dream, after all. The heat rushed up my chest and into my cheeks, as I remembered some of the more pleasurable parts of my evening.

"Hi." I squeaked, my voice cracking slightly. Fucking awesome.

Jasper laughed, the throaty, musical tone filling the room. He stood and crossed to the bed in all of three fucking strides before perching on the edge and offering me the cup clasped in his hands. Thankful for the distraction, I muttered a thank you, closed my eyes and cringed, before taking a sip of the beverage. I fully expected the strong, bitter taste of coffee on my tongue. How wrong I was. I was treated, instead, to the soft, warm flavor of my favorite beverage, soft cinnamon dancing on my tongue and marrying with a slight hint of sugary vanilla sweetness and a rich hit of cream. Holy fuck. The words of a Tori Amos song drifted through my mind unbidden, and I grinned. He brought me sugar. Sigh.

"How did you?" I had barely swallowed when the question popped out.

"Cinnamon dulce cafe misto, twenty-five percent coffee to seventy-five percent whole milk, extra foam, vanilla sugar and a bit of cream?" A smile played on his full lips.

"Ah, yeah, how-" I was beyond confused.

"Alice called," he stated simply, by way of explanation. The words hit me like a sledgehammer. Oh fuck. It was gonna be like the fucking Spanish inquisition when I got back to our room.

"Fucking meddling, infuriating..." my hands wrapped around the warm cup, "conniving little angel," I muttered under my breath, thankful of the caffeine's effect on my system, no matter how scant the amount.

"She also told me I need to have you home by ten. Said something about needing your mints in the morning?" He looked slightly puzzled at her message, "She's a great girl, but she seems kind of...odd."

At his pronouncement, I laughed joyfully. He hit the proverbial nail on the head. My tiny friend was nothing if not complex- and puzzling and downright, fucking creepy sometimes. I swear the girl was psychic. In any case, I never bet against her.

"Ah-yeah, I have…medication. I should probably be getting…back." My tongue tripped over the words. I don't know why I couldn't just say birth control. It's not that fucking hard.

Jasper nodded slightly, "I can walk you back now, if you want." His hands were shoved into his pockets, and he examined his feet.

"Um- yeah, I really should- the same time every day-"

_Yeah, nice fucking job rain man. That didn't sound strange at all._

I shook my head and stood. Suddenly, the fact that I was totally bare ass naked, with the exception of my fucking necklace and earrings, hit me. Hard. I awkwardly attempted to cover myself with my arms and looked around the room for my clothes as Jasper looked on in-appreciation. The hell?

"Good morning, darlin'," He muttered placing a sweet kiss on my lips. "I'll get your clothes. If you need-" he waved a hand towards the bathroom, and I swallowed hard, willing myself not to run. With my luck I'd fucking fall down.

I entered the room and stared at myself in the mirror for a moment. Same Bella as ever. I didn't look any different -well, except for the fucking hickey on my neck, Alice and Edward were gonna have a field day with that. So why did I feel so much - my mind flew, searching for the right word- clearer. I shook my head and splashed some cool water on my face, busying myself cleaning up and concentrating on anything but the man on the other side of the door, when a gentle knock pierced the silence.

"Bella? Your clothes are on the door." His voice was soft and kind and sexy and- okay, snap out of it girl.

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes at myself and opened the door just enough to grab the hanger he had placed on the knob and pulled it inside. I swallowed hard again as I took in my slightly wrinkled blue dress and undergarments, my face flushing as images of said clothing falling to the floor flashed through my mind.

"Stop that," I muttered, struggling into my undergarments and sliding the dress over my head. The dress I couldn't fucking zip on my own. Goddamn Alice! I twisted my tangled hair into a messy bun and took a deep, calming- hah!- breath. Holding the dress over my chest, I exited my white and chrome safe haven.

"Jasper, could you… um… help?" I felt like a bit of a fool, asking for help dressing, but he glanced up from tying his chucks and smiled.

"Of course, darlin'" He crossed the room quickly, placing his hands on my shoulders and turning my back to him before slowly sliding the zipper up. His hands rested on my shoulders for a moment, before placing a feather light kiss on my neck and stepping back.

"There we go. Perfect."

"Um, thanks," I said, turning and grinning at him like an idiot.

"Jasp-"

"Bella-"

We spoke at the same time. He chuckled, and I blushed. He was sexy. I was…red. Fuck.

"About last night-" I stumbled over the words, my mind barely functioning due to his close proximity.

"It's okay, darlin'. We can talk about later? Over lunch maybe?" He smiled as he met my eyes, and I nodded.

I struggled quickly into my godforsaken shoes and stood a moment later.

"Ready?" His voice was sweet, and he handed me my coffee as I nodded. Jasper grabbed his black fedora and dropped it on his head before gently placing his hand in the small of my back and guiding me out of the room, the door shutting behind us with a soft, reassuring click.

We spent the elevator ride in companionable silence, Jasper's arm warm and doing all kinds of funny things to my insides as he draped it over my shoulder. It felt like it belonged there.

I sighed. _So fucking sappy._

We were halfway across the expansive lobby when a jovial voice reached our ears and caused us to stop dead in our tracks.

"Cuz!" Emmett's cheerful greeting echoed through the large space, and we both turned to find him strolling towards us, Rosalie not far behind him. Fuck, life wasn't fair. There had to be some sort of sick joke of genetics that this family could look so great first thing in the morning. Rosalie's lavender dress hugged and emphasized her beautiful curves, her makeup was flawless and her lustrous blond locks were piled atop her head. Emmett was smiling brightly as he approached, his blue, button-down and black vest both untucked and unbuttoned, revealing the black undershirt that was firmly tucked into his black pants. His outfit from the evening before. I suddenly felt self-conscious standing with this trio, and I could feel the gaze of some of the other guests on us, not to mention the hotel staff. Fuck that! I stood straighter and smiled a bit. I hated people staring at me, but if they were going to, I might as well make it worth it. Yeah, it was a fucked up defense mechanism, but it worked for me. Fake it till you fucking make it, baby.

"Morning, Em, Rose." Jasper greeted Emmett with a nod and hugged his sister quickly.

"Hey, bro!" Emmett's smile and enthusiasm were contagious, and he turned to face me. "Bells! Morning, sweetie!" Before I knew what was happening, he swept me into a crushing hug and spun me around. Thank God Jasper had anticipated his greeting and grabbed my coffee at the last moment; otherwise, it would be all over both of us. I gave a delighted, if loud, laugh that echoed through the lobby, drawing more attention to us. Didn't these people have anything better to do than stare at a group of 18-year-olds?

"Good morning, Emmett," I smiled as he set me down gently. "I'm fine thank you, and yourself?"

"Peachy keen, baby, peachy keen." Jesus, this guy's upbeat energy was positively addictive, and I found myself smiling wider and turning to Rosalie. I didn't even bother to mask my surprise as she embraced me warmly, the heady, familiar scent of Chanel No. 5 washing over my senses. No, I will not go there right now. I shook my head a bit to clear the thoughts, as she stepped back and spoke

"Good morning, Bella. It's nice to see you again. I had a lovely time last night, thank you so much for inviting us." Her words, like her smile, were genuine, and I was touched.

"Of course. It was my pleasure." I saw Emmett open his mouth to speak, but Rose cut him off quickly.

"Shut the fuck up, Emmett." Her voice was firm and surprisingly forceful, but her green eyes sparkled mischievously. Emmett's mouth snapped shut and his smile, if possible, got even wider.

Jasper shook his head, a slightly exasperated look on his face. It seemed as if he didn't quite know what to make of his family members.

"Ah, guys, I've got to get Bella home. See you in few?" His words were hesitant and almost… nervous? Strange.

"Of course," Rosalie responded sweetly, winking at her brother before turning back to me. "We'll have to get together again before you leave." The words were more of a command than a question, but coming from Rose it made sense. I nodded mutely as Jasper's hand returned to the small of my back.

"Bye, Bells!" Emmett's voice echoed behind us as we turned, and I heard Rosalie whack him in the chest.

"They're great," I said to Jasper as we exited through the glass doors and headed down the busy street towards my hotel.

"Oh darlin', you don't even know!" I could hear the smile behind his words as he pulled me closer to him and we finished our walk in easy silence.

"Um…I…Thank you," my voice wavered slightly as I looked up at Jasper when we stepped off the elevator directly across from my room. Fucking traitorous vocal chords.

"Of course, Bella." His words were soft, and he pulled me close, his strong arms holding me to him in a tight embrace. My own hand crept, unbidden, around his back, and I rested my head against his chest, breathing in the now familiar scent of cigarettes and sage and… something else that I couldn't identify. Something that seemed uniquely him. Whatever the fuck it was, it was intoxicating.

"Bella-"

My name was little more than a whisper, and I looked up at him briefly before rising up quickly on my toes to meet his lips in a kiss.

Where the fuck had this bold streak come from? Who the fuck cared?

I sighed against his mouth as I opened mine and met his tongue. I grasped tiny fistfuls of his shirt at the contact, and his hands tightened on my waist as the kiss slowly intensified. Fuck, this man could kiss.

"Good morning!" Alice's cheerful voice broke through my haze, and I jumped, breaking the kiss and flying back, slightly stumbling. I was relieved at Jasper's firm hold on me, which prevented me from toppling over onto my ass. Fuck that girl.

My petite friend fluttered into the hallway and grinned at us.

"Bells," she nodded her head at me, and I glared back. She responded to my not-all-that-imposing look with a wink and turned towards Jasper, who had slowly let me go.

"Morning, Mr. Whitlock." Her tone was playful and he replied in kind.

"Good morning, Alice. How are you today?" His eyes shone with humor.

"Fantastic, thank you!" She slipped her tiny arm around my waist. "Sorry to pull Isabella away from you so early, we had a last minute..." she paused, considering her words carefully, "change in plans."

Lying little imp. She wasn't sorry for a second!

"That's okay, um-yeah." He turned away from her sparkling gold eyes. "Will I see you later darlin'?" The words were whispered into my ear, his warm breath tickling my neck. I nodded mutely at him and he kissed me sweetly on the cheek. "Later, Isabella," he called over his shoulder as he headed back into the elevator.

"Bye," my voice was weak, and my knees trembled as I caught him winking just before the doors closed. Oh fuck, I had it bad.

"Come on!" Alice's voice was commanding, and she tugged on my hand with surprising force as I tripped into our room. I pushed the door shut behind me before dropping onto my bed. I giggled, closing my eyes.

"Well?" she begged, jumping on the bed next to me. "Tell me!" Her words left little room for argument.

"Yeah, Bells," Edward's voice teased, as I felt him plop down on the bed on my other side, "tell me."

"Oh fuck," I muttered, closing my eyes again, and trying, very unsuccessfully, to block out the sounds of their laughter as they both hugged me.

"I fucking hate you two," I growled, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Bells, honey, you know that's a blatant lie." Edward's voice was light as he kissed my forehead.

Yeah, the fucker was right. I could never hate them.

"Fuck you." The words meant nothing as I grinned and popped my eyes open, taking in my friends' expectant faces.

"Can I at least fucking change first?" There was no hiding the smile on my face.

"Do it quick," Edward ordered as I sat up, mirth playing over his handsome features. I pushed him aside and stood, heading towards the bureau.

"Your clothes are already in the bathroom," Alice supplied from her position on the bed, her own eyes closed and a smile playing across her pretty face.

"I fucking hate you two," I reiterated as I stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door.

"No you don't!" Alice's voice rang out. "You fucking love us, and you'd be totally lost without us! Your world would crumble and turn grey, and you'd sit in your bedroom for hours at a time, staring out your window!" I could hear the smile in her words and laughed.

She was fucking right. Again.

Fifteen minutes later, I was showered, scrubbed and dressed in Alice's version of casual- a long, black and grey v-neck cardigan, white cami top and wide-legged, grey pants. I did not, however, put on the grey heels or headband she had left me, plaiting my hair quickly and opting instead for my black chucks and my new favorite accessory- a slightly battered, grey fedora that smelled softly of cigarettes and sage and Jasper.

I smiled softly at my image in the mirror and reflected on what a fucking dork I was, before I opened the door and walked out. I quickly caught the small black package that Alice had just thrown at me. Ahh...morning mints. God fucking bless the woman, and it _had_ to be a woman, who invented chewable, mint flavored birth control.

I grinned my thanks and threw the pack back at my friend, who caught it without even looking up from the pedicure she was putting the finishing touches on. Edward thumbed through my battered and marked up copy of Lolita, one of the three books I had brought with me on our little trip, along with Tropic of Cancer and Henry and June. I had a soft spot for elegant smut, and it was one of my little idiosyncrasies that Edward openly appreciated.

"Good book, Edward?" I teased as I plopped ungracefully on the bed next to him.

"Good night, Isabella?" he retorted, not even looking up from the page.

"Actually-" I was, once again, cut off mid-sentence by Alice.

"Wait till I'm done, I don't want her to have to go over things twice." She never even looked up at us, concentrating instead on getting the final coat of purple polish on her petite nails perfect.

I laughed and rolled my eyes at Edward, and he grinned, shutting the book with a snap. He returned it to its place on my bedside table before looking at me devilishly. Fuck.

"What?" My tone was a bit more than cautious as I looked at him, eyes shining bright with mischief.

"Nothin'," His tone was far too casual.

"Edward Anthony Masen, don't you pull that shit with me. I know that look, not to mention that innocent voice which, by the way, is about as real a Tanya Denali's tits." I smirked at him, bringing up one of his many...conquests, and he winked.

"Touché, Bells, you're in rare form this morning. I surrender." He raised his hands, and I smiled. I never beat him. Well, almost never.

"Edward don't touch her fucking hat," Alice's firm voice commanded.

"How the fuck did you know?" His jaw dropped, and his eyes twinkled, "I swear to hell, Pix," with a grin, he threw in the dreaded molestation of a nickname that only he could use and not get hit,"you must be psychic."

"Maybe," she chirped, wiggling her toes before standing up on her bed and jumping over to mine. She collapsed on Edward, placing a big kiss on his cheek.

"So, Miss Isabella," the fucking annoying pixie drawled my name with a grin, "spill, babe. All of it." I looked into the eager, shining eyes of my friends and sighed.

"I fucking hate you two."

"It's a good thing we love you then, or there'd be a big issue." Alice's tone was matter of fact.

"Come on, Bells, give us something...Christ, we've been keeping your pretty self in pervy tales for, how long's it been now, Pix?" he glanced at Alice, "three years?"

Alice nodded at him, resting her head in his lap and her feet in mine.

"Three years, July fourth," she muttered, and Edward began massaging her scalp.

Three years what? What the fuck? Why did… Then it dawned on me.

"Oh my fucking God!" I shrieked, trying not to laugh. "You two…and… together!" My mind would not process this information.

"Jesus Christ, Harpy," Edward muttered with a smile, "I think I may be deaf now, thanks."

"You assholes! Why didn't you tell me?'' I still refused to believe that my two best friends had been...together. It was just too...incestuous.

"Jesus, drama queen much?" Alice teased. "If you shut up for a minute, we can tell, but you will sure as hell be elaborating on your evening." The girl still hadn't opened her eyes.

"Okay," I said quietly, leaning back against the headboard and looking at them. "Well?"

"So, 4th of July when we were fifteen..." Edward's lyrical voice began, and I closed my eyes, just listening.

**Pups' fic rec corner….okay babes today's rec is the STUPENDOUS Going Under for the Third Time by the amazing busymommy. Go read…..there is Surfsper. I promise you won't be disappointed. **


	3. Chapter 3

**What I own: several pairs of amazingly awesome stripper heels, a meager book collection, a ton of make-up from Sephora, a filthy mouth and a bunch of Twilight DVD's and a bunch of nominations in the Jasper round of the gem awards…Go vote! If not for me than for one of the other amazing fics that have been rec'd!**

**What I don't: Twilight itself. That belongs to SMeyer and, despite a strong physical resemblance, I'm not her. If Twilight were mine, there would be lots more…fun to be had. I'm making nothing off of this and no copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N This was beta'd by the AMAZING Beta-mom Clara Bella, who just makes me smile and fixes all of my excessive comma usage with her crazy beta skills. Major shout outs to my awesome ficwife Skychaser and gents over at the FFA and Going Under for the Third Time groups on Facebook….This story wouldn't exist without them, like, literally. Major shout outs to hobee1971 who made a GORGOUS banner for this piece…I still get tingles when I see it! I'm not below bribery and reviews will be rewarded with sneak peeks and possibly pole dances. Thanks for reading!**

**Just to clarify, this chapter picks up directly after chapter one ends….**

The flight to Galveston was uneventful, and, thanks to my friends, I now had something to occupy my time other than reading and sleeping. I carefully arranged my photos in my new album, smiling stupidly again at that damn statue of liberty before sliding it in on the second to last page, right before the black and white print I had received a few weeks before.

"I will not fucking cry." I mumbled the words under my breath and received a startled stare from my row mate, Jackson, a cheerful southern boy who had regaled me with his plan to propose to his girlfriend as soon as he returned home to Galveston.

"Sorry," I mumbled, by way of apology.

"No worries, darlin'." My heart skipped a beat at the term of endearment, and I had to fight my blush. "It's all good."

"Thanks," I mumbled and stared out the window, feeling sleep reach up and gently take hold of me.

After stumbling off the plane and through security, I exited my gate and searched for a familiar face, grinning when I spotted my friend. Rosalie looked as beautiful as ever, her pale blouse and plaid pencil skirt set off by beige heels. Her gleaming blonde hair was swept atop her head, and she grinned at me with her red lips.

"Bella!" She waved and started towards me as I clutched my wrap tighter around my form and stepped into her embrace, relishing her soft scent. We had been in nearly constant contact the last three months, and I had come to value her friendship nearly as much as Alice's. I hope she still cared for me after this trip.

"It's so good to see you, you look fantastic!" She took me in head to toe and grinned. "You look beyond fantastic, lovely, you're practically glowing." She took my arm in hers, and we meandered through the crowds towards the baggage carousel, Rosalie oblivious to the stares of the people around her, and me trying desperately to disappear.

"When we get to the car, you are going to tell me exactly why you are being so secretive, young lady." Rose's tone was firm, and I nodded in agreement, pulling my small, black duffle bag off the carousel before we wandered out into the Galveston heat. The sun felt so good on my face, and I smiled softly, following Rose to a sporty red convertible that was being ogled by some teenage boys. They shifted their stares to Rose as she popped the trunk and tossed my bag in, sliding behind the wheel with ease.

"Hi!" she called out with a wave, and the small group turned away immediately. I laughed softly and slipped on my sunglasses as she started the engine with a purr.

"So, Belly," she grilled me half an hour later, after we were seated at a tiny cafe for lunch. ''Why all the hush-hush with your travel plans? Do you really want to surprise my brother that much?" She swirled the straw in her diet coke and stared at me intently.

"I just-wanted to- yeah, I guess I did." I felt a familiar heat climbing into my cheeks, and I pulled my wrap tighter around me despite the heat and took a deep swallow of my sweet tea.

''You know, you could just take it off. I know you have to be hot."

"I'm okay really, Rose, but thanks." I studied my spinach salad as if it were the most wonderful thing in the world, trying to ignore Rose's green eyes staring at me and thanked God when my phone trilled the opening notes of "When I Grow Up". "Excuse me, Rose," I smiled politely as Alice's ringtone reached my ears. I stood and cursed as my wrap caught on the chair while I walked to the sidewalk.

"Oh, fuck it," I muttered.

"What a greeting!" Alice's voice was dripping with feigned indignation.

"Sorry, Ali. How are you?" I squinted into the sun.

"I'm good, honey, how was the flight?"

"It was fine, I'm having lunch with Rose right now." I turned and faced my companion, her eyes still watching me intently.

"What'd she say? Tell her hi!" Edward's voice piped up in the background, he was positively head over heels for the blond beauty who sat no more than twenty feet from me.

"Jesus, you two!" I muttered, they were incorrigible. "I haven't told her yet." I glanced back at her, and she smiled. "Can I call you back?"

"You better!" Alice's voice was chipper. I shook my head at her as I hung up and slowly returned to the table, feeling Rose's intense gaze on me the entire time. Her eyes were puzzled, until I stood right before her and a blinding grin lit up her beautiful face as she studied me, my midsection especially.

"Oh my God," her voice was low. "Bella? Are you pregnant?" I met her eyes slowly and nodded, my eyes tearing.

"Oh God, sweetie," she scooted her chair closer to me and wrapped me in her arms. "When did you find out? How far along are you? Is it-?" Her questions came out in a rush, her last one dying on her lips as I met her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath.

"Eight weeks ago, Fifteen weeks and-" my voice broke slightly, "yes." The tears fell in a rush then, and Rosalie comforted me sweetly, running her nails through my hair and rubbing my back. I'm not quite sure how long we stayed like that, but when I was finally able to stop the tears, I looked and met her eyes, filled with kindness.

"I don't know what he'll do, Rose." My words were raspy.

"Oh, Isabella, sweetie, " she sighed softly, "I can't answer for him. Is this why you were so secretive?" I nodded slightly and smiled as she signaled for the check, quickly handing a credit card to the waiter without looking at the bill. "Jasper… he's a wonderful man. I think you made the right decision to come here. He deserves to hear it from you, in person." She squeezed my hand comfortingly. "It'll work out, sweetie, I know it." I smiled weakly at her as she rose. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and then home." I stood after her and she looked at me appraisingly, taking in my swollen breasts and the bump barely showing underneath my flowing, plum colored wrap top. "You do look beautiful, Isabella, pregnancy agrees with you." She smiled and took my hand, escorting me to the ladies room.

Forty-five minutes later, after Rose had thoroughly wiped and scrubbed and refreshed my face and had me looking decent again, we pulled up in front of a stately white home. The converted farmhouse was breathtaking, harkening back to a bygone era with its white washed exterior, large front porch complete with a swing, and beautiful magnolia trees. I took in a large jeep and a vintage, black corvette parked beside a pair of silver Lexuses- one an SUV and the other a sedan.

Rosalie laughed at the shocked look on my face, "What can I say? We love cars." She grinned at me. "Emmett's here too." She could read the fear in my eyes. "Don't worry, honey," she said reassuringly, as she pulled my duffle from the trunk, "it'll be okay." She kissed the top of my head, and we headed into the beautiful house, me following at her heels.

Rose and I walked through a beautifully decorated family room and an amazing kitchen that had me jealous for just a moment, before stopping in front of a pair of glass doors which looked out over the beautiful pool in the large backyard. My breath caught as I heard Jasper's husky laughter, and I froze.

"It's okay, sit." Rose squeezed my arm reassuringly, "I'll get his attention." She walked out the French doors, her beige heels clicking on the cobblestones, and greeted her family. She hugged both a woman and a man who sat at a cafe table; I assumed they were her parents.

"Jasper!" Rose's voice was sing-songy, and there was a splash. I gasped as I watched Jasper push himself up out of the side of the pool, where Emmet was still floating. The sun glinted off his honey-tanned chest and black board shorts. He shook his wet hair, sending a spray over Rose, who squealed in mock horror before handing him a fluffy white towel.

"Be nice, or I won't tell you where your surprise is."

"Awww, Rosie don't taunt him," Emmett's deep voice boomed from the pool.

"Shut it, Em!" she snapped, a playful glint in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, dear sister," Jasper smiled brightly and hugged Rose, getting her wet and causing her to squeal.

"Jasper, let go of your sister!" a soft, feminine yet firm voice rang out from the patio, and Jasper dropped his arms.

"Sorry, Rosie," he teased, toweling his hair dry slightly while Rose pouted.

"Asshole," she muttered just loud enough for me to hear, "I'm not telling you where your surprise is ever now." She gave him a smug smile.

"Aww please, Rose, please..." he begged playfully.

"Jesus, Rose, save us from him and just tell him!"

"No one asked you, Emmett!" She cast a sharp glance in the direction of the pool and raised her middle finger, only to be laughed at.

"Come on, sis," Jasper's voice dropped and my heart skipped a beat, "Please tell me." He pouted slightly, and I think my heartstrings twanged a bit.

"Fine. The kitchen," she sang after him, laughing as he ran towards the French doors. "Enjoy!"

Jasper grinned back at her, and I steeled myself as he opened the door, looking around the massive kitchen, checking first on the counters and then the huge center island, before finally coming to rest in the breakfast area where I sat. He stopped cold and stared for a moment, his mouth hanging open. "Bella?" his voice was soft and surprised.

"Hey," I replied quietly, finally meeting his beautiful eyes. He grinned and crossed the room in a few strides before pulling me up and crushing me to him, arms wrapped securely around my waist. I could feel the dampness from his body seeping through my clothes, darkening and wetting the fabric. Fuck it. I hugged him back and breathed in deeply, barely able to catch his scent under the layers of chlorine. God, he smelled the same.

He loosened his grip on me and looked down for a moment before catching my lips in a tender kiss.

"What are you doing here?" His words were mumbled into the top of my head.

"Um...surprise?" I forced and smile, and he laughed.

"My Bella, " he whispered, pulling back slightly. "Oh, damn, I'm getting you wet." He stood back and held me at arm's length. "You look wonderful. But, shit, you're wet-" he wrapped his towel around me. "Are you staying here?" I nodded in affirmation. "Is your stuff here? Did Rose show you your room? How long will you be here? Come meet my family." He pulled me slightly toward the door, where Rosalie stood, a shit eating grin on her face.

"Jesus, Jas- the poor girl's head is spinning. Yes, her stuff is here, no I didn't show her to her room, I'll do that in a sec. She'll be here for ten days, and, Christ, she's all damp, let her change and get comfortable before you force our parents on her." Rosalie slid in between us. "I'm putting her in my old room!" She called over her shoulder and pulled me with her. I glanced back at Jasper and waved, as he stared at us.

"Dude? What's the surprise?" Emmett's voice called, and Jasper turned to walk back outside.

"Alright, sweetie, why don't you get freshened up?" Rosalie had led me up the stairs and into a large room, decorated in pale blues and whites, dominated by a fluffy looking white, four post bed. I plopped my messenger bag on the floor next to my duffle, and Rose squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. "It'll be fine. Come on down when you are ready." She grinned and shut the door behind her with a click.

I sighed and dug in my duffle, searching for something appropriate to wear to meet Jasper's parents. I glanced through the stacks of clothing, looking for something familiar, but was instead met by piles of light, soft clothing that I had never seen. Fucking Alice.

Twenty minutes and a flustered call to Alice later, I looked in the mirror trying not to show surprise at my reflection. My outfit was all Alice, it had to be. The scheming fucking pixie had repacked all of my clothes.

"Bells, you're going to start showing-ah-more soon, t-shirts and jeans just won't work! Wear the flowered sundress!" She ended the call with a click, and I searched for the outfit she had planned for me- a spaghetti strapped, salmon sundress with cream flowers, a cream wrap and cream suede ballet flats. That girl. It was perfect and totally Alice, and yet, exactly me at the same time.

I pulled my hair back from my face with a thin cream headband and sighed, "This is as good as it's gonna get." I crossed my fingers and left the comfort of my room, descending the staircase and smiling stupidly at Jasper, who stood at the foot of the stairs, a white t-shirt clinging to his chest and worn jeans hanging from his hips. He looked like a god, and I swallowed hard. "Come on, darlin, come meet my family." He gently grasped my hand and led me back through the kitchen and out to the patio.

"Bells!" I was immediately crushed into a huge hug by Emmett, who picked me up and swung me around. "It's great to see you, sweetheart!" He squeezed me softly before setting me down, and I took a second to regain my bearings, praying the wave of nausea that had passed over me would go away. Like, now. I took a few deep breaths and the feeling passed quickly as Jasper took my hand again, leading me to the patio table where his parents sat.

A beautiful woman with flowing caramel hair and a warm smile stood and reached a hand to me, "You must be Isabella." She clasped my hand gently, and I felt completely at ease with this woman, who looked hauntingly like Jasper, "I'm Esme, and this is my husband, Carlisle." She gestured towards the pale gentleman beside her, who stood and greeting me with a dazzling smile, that was the mirror of his daughter's.

"Welcome, Isabella." He gently squeezed my hand, "We're so pleased to meet you." The soft drawl of their voices put me quickly at ease.

"Thank you so much for having me," I smiled like an idiot.

"Are you hungry, dear? Can I get you anything?" Esme smiled at me sweetly.

"No, thank you, I'm fine," I responded politely, amazed by the kindness this couple was showing me.

"She's not fine," Rose said happily. "She's barely eaten since she arrived. The poor girl needs food." She winked at me conspiratorially.

"Mesa?" Emmett piped up from the lounge chair next to Rose.

"Perfect, Emmett!" Esme grinned, "Bella, just give us a few minutes and we'll go right out to dinner." Esme grinned and headed into the house, Carlisle in tow.

"You'll get used to them, sweets," Jasper sighed softly and smiled, "they really are great."

I had no doubt about that.

After an amazing Tex-Mex dinner filled with delicious food and stimulating conversation, we all returned home, stomachs sated. I felt like I had known the family for years, instead of just hours.

I stood on the balcony, enjoying the cool night breeze and trying to calm myself for what I was about to do. A gentle knock at my door startled me out of my thoughts.

"Yes?" I said softly, turning to find Jasper standing in my doorway, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Jasper," I couldn't help but smile at him as he closed the door behind him before crossing the room to me and kissing the tip of my nose.

"I still can't believe you're here," he whispered, adoration evident in his voice, causing a pang in my heart.

"Enjoying the balcony, darlin'?" he murmured as he led me back out the door to the small balcony.

"Mmmhmmmm..." My words were muffled slightly as I rested my head on my hand and gazed out over the grounds, the moonlight glittering off of the water in the pool. I stiffened as I felt Jasper stand behind me and wrap his arms around my waist.

"What's wrong, Bella?" His voice was laced with concern, and I bit back tears, leaning my head back on his shoulder and allowing him to pull me against him, my posture relaxing just by his presence. His hands gently relaxed and came to rest on my lower abdomen, directly onto of the firm bump that was protruding there. The same abdomen that he had caressed only three months before, when it had been very, very flat. I felt him give a sharp intake of breath as his fingers gently ran across the material of my dress, trying to figure out what was going on and covering the area with his large hand, squeezing gently. I choked back a sob, and he turned me around carefully. I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"Isabella, look at me," his tone was pleading, and I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his questioning eyes as I blinked back tears. "Bella darlin', are you-?" his voice faltered, and he looked in my eyes, searching for an answer to a question he couldn't find the words to ask. I closed my eyes and nodded slightly, feeling the tears splash over my cheeks. "God." The word was nearly silent, and I looked up to meet his eyes. "Is it -mine?" His voice trembled.

"There hasn't been anyone else," I whispered, swallowing hard and averting my eyes from his, which now shone with tears. I tried to choke back a sob, to no avail, and found myself pulled close to Jasper, his strong arms surrounding me and his gentle voice whispering soft reassurances into my hair.

"It's alright darlin'...it'll be okay." He gently stroked my hair as I sobbed, clinging to his light blue shirt for dear life.

At some point during my breakdown, Jasper scooped me up into his arms and carried me inside, gently setting me on the bed and crawling behind, holding me close, his hands still wandering across my bump. I sighed heavily once the tears had stopped and rested against him.

"Bella?" His voice was cautious, "How? You were on the pill and we used a-oh, fuck. Emmett." His words trailed off as he remembered the tiny details of the night. His darling cousin had snagged his condoms from his wallet.

"Its only ninety-nine percent, Jasper." My voice was tiny.

"So it's- you're gonna-" Jasper, usually so sure of himself, was at a loss for words.

"Yes," I stated softly, again answering an unasked question.

Jasper sat up and turned to face me, grasping my hands softly in his.

"Isabella, I'm not going to say I'm not surprised, because I am, greatly," he never looked away from my face as he spoke, "I want you to know that I'll support you in whatever you choose." He swallowed hard, and I could tell he was fighting tears. "Are you going to-that is-?"

"I'm keeping her, Jasper."

"Her? You can tell already?" His tone was full of surprise, and I smiled.

"No, it's just a feeling. That and Alice-" The tiny woman had predicted a girl and had even begun shopping, along with Edward. They were both thrilled to have a niece to spoil. "She seems pretty sure, she said she had a dream...but I won't know for a while yet," my words trailed off.

"Bella, I want you to know that whatever you want to do, I'll be here for you, unless you don't want me to be." Tears spilled over his cheeks as he spoke, "This baby is just as much mine as yours-" His words ended with a soft sob, and he wrapped me in a tight, comforting embrace.

"Thank you, Jasper," I whispered into his throat, "thank you."

"Of course, darlin', anything for you." He placed a finger on my chin and tilted my face up to meet my lips in a sweet, yearning kiss that was interrupted by a light knock on the door. "Damn," he whispered quietly.

"Come in," I stated, trying to sit up, but Jasper's arms held me fast against him.

"Am I interrupting?" Rose's voice filtered into the room, and she stood silhouetted in the doorway.

"No, of course not, Rose, please come in," I smiled brightly at my friend, and she walked over to perch herself on the bed by my feet, looking at us expectantly.

"Well?" Her tone was inpatient, but her eyes and smile were kind.

"Bella's-we're-" Jasper sputtered over his words, and I saw a flush creep over his cheeks.

Rosalie squealed and wrapped us both in a hug. "I'm so happy for you!" She whispered into my ear, "See, I told you it'll be okay."

I nodded mutely at her, unable to do anything but smile, tears of happiness flowing down my cheeks.

"Oh, Bells," Rose was positively glowing, and she looked down at my stomach, still covered by Jasper's hand. "Can I?" Her eyes were wide and pleading.

"Of course," I smiled and felt Jasper's hand move, only to be replaced by Rose's smaller one. A look of awe crossed her face. "So, I'm really gonna have a little niece or nephew huh?" she grinned at me.

"Alice swears it's going to be a girl."

"What do you think, sweetie?" Rose tilted her head.

"I wouldn't bet against her," I smiled and found myself enveloped in her soft arms as she squealed.

"Did I miss something?" Emmett's voice rang out from the doorway, his large form leaning against the frame.

Rose shot a questioning glance at Jasper and I, who nodded.

"Please come in, Emmett," I smiled at him. "Would you mind closing the door?" He ran into the room and perched on the edge of the bed, looking for all the world like a giant in a dollhouse. He grinned wildly at us and looked between Jasper and I, his eyes finally settling on Jasper's hand which was perched, once again, on my stomach.

Emmett's blue eyes widened in surprise. "Holy shit," he whispered. "When?"

I smiled and leaned back into Jasper's chest as he talked with Rosalie and Emmett, answering all of their questions. Eventually, my eyes drifted closed, and I snuggled softly into his arms as blissful sleep surrounded me.

I awoke the next morning slowly, to the warm sun shining into the windows and a very firm, very warm body beneath me. I breathed in deeply; sage, spice and a hint of smoke. Jasper. I smiled and shifted slightly glancing up to find sleepy, hazel eyes looking down at me.

"Morning darlin'," his voice was husky with sleep.

"Morning," I grinned at him like a fool and snuggled tighter into him.

"You're a cuddler, huh?" his words were teasing.

"Mmmhmmmm," I muttered into his chest. Laying there with him felt so...right. I couldn't explain it.

"Good." He stroked my hair, which was now a tangled mess. "So what do-" Jasper was cut off by a knock on the door.

"Isabella?" Esme's musical voice rang out, and I stiffened up into Jasper's embrace.

"Its okay, Bella, don't worry," his voice was soft in my ear.

"Come in," I said, trying to keep my voice as stable as possible. The door opened and she walked in, surveying the room.

"Good morning, dear. Morning, Jasper," she smiled at us and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Good morning, Mom," Jasper gave me a quick squeeze and got up, dropping a kiss on the top of my head. "I'll see you later, Bells." He winked and strolled out of the room.

"Good Morning, Mrs. Whitlock," I mumbled, sitting up straight against the headboard and pulling the blue throw around my waist.

"Please, call me Esme," she smiled sweetly, and I couldn't resist nodding.

"I don't know what you have planned today, honey, but would you care to join Rosalie and me for lunch? I've heard so much about you, and I'd really like to spend some time with you." Her words were as honest as her smile.

"Yes, Esme, I'd love that. Thank you," I smiled as she clasped my hand gently.

"Is eleven okay for you?" she asked as she stood by the door.

"Wonderful," I smiled.

"Good, dear. Make yourself at home while you're here, please. I want you to be comfortable." I nodded mutely at her kind words. "I'll see you at eleven, Bella." She gave another small smile before ducking out the door and closing it behind her.

Oh, fuck. I forced myself up off the bed and towards my bag, wondering what I should wear for going out to lunch with the father of my unborn baby's mother. Oh, Jesus, I was pathetic. I took all of my clothes out of my bags and marveled at Alice. She had divided everything into outfits and color coded the accessories. Only Alice. I smiled and examined a note pinned to a hanger that held a cream colored, thin strapped dress. It had turquoise and pale brown flowers, and a turquoise sash at the empire waist. There was also a small satin bag containing a sunny yellow wrap, matching ballet flats and the same cherry blossom jewelry that I had loved from my time in New York, this time set in gleaming yellow gold, and a white lace with turquoise ribbon bra and boy short set.

Wear this to lunch with Esme.

~A

How the hell did she know? I shook my head and sighed, grabbing my toiletries bag, heading to the shower with my assigned ensemble. She was too much.

Esme, Rosalie and I sat around the small table at an elegant little cafe in downtown Galveston. The hostess greeted Esme and Rose by name and ushered them to their 'usual table'. The Host stared at my companions, and I couldn't blame him. The two women were stunning. Esme was wearing an elegant, belted grey dress with sparkling sapphire and diamond earrings, ring and bracelet and a navy wrap with beautiful navy heels, her soft hair billowing over her shoulders. Rosalie, in contrast, wore a simple, full skirted khaki dress and red cardigan, scarf and heels, carrying a matching red handbag, her gleaming hair pulled back from her face with sparkling silver clips, revealing her ruby and diamond earrings. I tucked my hair awkwardly behind my ears and pulled my wrap tighter around me, feeling a bit inconsequential. Never in my life had I met someone with a 'usual table', truckers at the diner back in Forks exempted, of course.

Over a delicious meal, we had all discussed nearly every aspect of our lives. By the time dessert and coffee arrived, Esme and Rosalie knew everything about me from my birthday to my favorite color to my plans for the future, slightly modified but not elaborated on, including my deferment for college. Jasper and Rosalie's mother was amazing, and my heart ached for the kind of relationship that they had. I missed my own mother, after not seeing her in almost ten years. I gently rested my hand on my belly and smiled softly at the two women sitting across from me. They were truly amazing people.

Esme sipped her coffee out of a delicate china cup and watched me carefully as I drank my herbal tea.

"Bella, I have a question for you, and I hope you won't think me too forward." Her voice was lilting, and Rosalie caught my eyes and shook her head slightly.

"Of course not, Esme," I struggled against my voice breaking.

Esme sat her cup down on the saucer delicately and met my eyes. "When are you due, honey?" Her soft, sweet voice blew my mind with the simple question. My hand shook, and warm tea splashed over my fingers before I could set it down.

"I- um- how?" Great, stuttering like a fool again.

Esme smiled gently at me, "I saw pictures of you from your time in New York, and there are some...noticeable changes," she said delicately. "But honestly, dear, I'm a mother, I can sense these things." She gently reached across the table and clasped my hand in hers as I took a shuttering breath.

"March thirteenth," I stated simply, and she grinned.

"That's my husband's birthday," she smiled softly. "I don't want to offend you, Bella..." she paused delicately, "but is it-"

"Yes, Mom," Rosalie interrupted, "it's Jasper's." Thank God for Rosalie.

Esme gave me a dazzling smile. "Honey, I can't tell you how pleased I am. I'll be honest with you, I never imagined that this would happen how it has, but I would never, ever wish things were different. Congratulations. I do hope that you'll want my son, my family, involved in both you and your baby's lives?" Her voice broke slightly, and I felt the tears fall again. "Oh, honey, don't cry!" She wrapped her soft arms around me, and I was enveloped in her warm, sweet, floral scent. I held her tightly and wept for my own mother, whom I had lost.

After a very tearful lunch, we headed back to the house, the car filled with companionable silence. Pulling up to the house, I had to restrain myself from running up to Jasper and throwing his arms around him. Esme exited the car and walked to her son embracing him and kissing his cheek before whispering something in his ear. She kissed him again and went into the house, closely followed by Rose, who hugged me and punched her brother in the arm before following her mother. Jasper turned and looked at me with a wide, gleaming smile, and I ran to him, throwing myself into his arms.

"You have a nice time, darlin'?" he murmured into my hair, and I nodded.

"So she knows, huh?" his voice was nervous.

"Yeah. I didn't tell her, Jasper, she figured it out-" the words tumbled out in a panic, and he shushed me gently.

"It's okay, Bella. She has a sense about her. I spent the morning with my father. He was a bit more...direct than Esme may have been." My eyes opened wide, and I'm sure he saw the fear in them. "It's okay, Bella, he's okay. My parents are...surprisingly supportive." I smiled weakly at him. "What about Charlie?"

"He ah-doesn't know yet." The shame was evident in my voice.

"Oh, my Bella," he pulled me tight to his chest, "you wait much longer, and you won't have to tell him, he'll figure it out on his own." I nodded silently. "Look at me." I couldn't deny him, and I looked up into his eyes, shining and warm in the sun and met his lips in a dizzying kiss that continued until the blast of a car horn sounded, and we broke apart, gasping for air.

"Hey cuz!" Emmett's voice broke the silence as he barreled up the walk towards us, a sparkling pink gift bag in his hands.

"Emmett," Jasper greeted him and warily eyed the bag.

"Don't worry Jazzy, it's not for you," he grinned and swept me up in a hug, and I laughed hysterically. "How you doin', Bells?" he asked, setting me gently back on the ground and holding the bag out to me with a grin.

"For me?" I was shocked and touched at the same time and accepted the bag cautiously. I peeked inside, pushing away tufts of pale pink tissue paper and actually squealed when I saw what lay beneath. A fluffy, pink teddy bear, dressed in a blue teddy sized dress, black Chucks and a grey fedora. I pulled the cuddly little bear out of the bag and hugged it tightly, surprised when I heard the soft strains of Braham's Lullaby playing. I grinned and flung my arms around Emmett's neck and he responded in kind.

"You like it, Bells?" his voice was full of mirth.

"I love it, Emmett, thank you," I smiled up at him and was greeted by a blinding smile and dimples out in full force. I handed the fluffy bundle to Jasper, and he chuckled and shook his head.

"Check it out, dude, I made that shit myself! Build-A-Bear? Is great!" Seeing this giant of a man so excited over a children's toy touched my heart, and tears sprang to my eyes. Fucking hormones.

"Bella? You okay?" Jasper's voice was laced with concern.

"I'm fine," I muttered, wiping my eyes with my hand, "fucking hormones." I sniffled and looked up at the two men on either side of me, both laughing hysterically. Pouting, I snatched the teddy from Jasper and buried my face in its soft, pink fur. It was sweet, and I was happy.

**And in this weeks Pups' fic rec corner we have two AMAZING fics by two amazing women:**

**Home by ClaraBell75 This amazing story is written by my lovely and talented beta and just bowls me over with every chapter**

**Remember Me Tomorrow by Skychaser okay, this one is by my lovely ficwife and it just makes me cry it is so amazing…if you know me you know I am 100% diehard Jella and this story? Is so amazing I want to have its baby.**

**Go read and review babes….and tell them Pups sent you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**What I own: several pairs of amazingly awesome stripper heels, a meager book collection, a ton of make-up from Sephora, a filthy mouth and a bunch of Twilight DVD's What I don't: Twilight itself. That belongs to SMeyer and, despite a strong physical resemblance, I'm not her. If Twilight were mine, there would be lots more…fun to be had. I'm making nothing off of this and no copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N This was beta'd by the AMAZING Beta-mom Clara Bella, who just makes me smile and fixes all of my excessive comma usage with her crazy beta skills. Major shout outs to my awesome ficwife Skychaser for endless handholding, skyping, encouragement, texts and bewbie gropes. I love her hard. And the ladies and gents over at the FFA and Going Under for the Third Time groups on Facebook….This story wouldn't exist without them, like, literally. Major shout outs to hobee1971 who made a GORGOUS banner for this piece…I still get tingles when I see it! I'm not below bribery and reviews will be rewarded with sneak peeks and possibly pole dances. Thanks for reading!**

"Bells..." Emmett's voice echoed through my mind the next afternoon, slowly pulling me out of sleep. I growled softly at him. It was warm, I was tired, and I was in a swimsuit. I wanted to sleep.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty, let's go." He was insistent.

"Emmett, I'm sleeping." My voice was flat, and I refused to open my eyes under my sunglasses. I heard him sigh and plod away, and I smiled to myself. Good job! I mentally congratulated myself and grinned until my sun was blocked out and I felt a steady, cold drip on my chest.

"Damn it, Emmett!" I pulled off my glasses and shot up on the lounge chair, fully preparing to give him hell. Needless to say, I stopped short when I saw Jasper standing above me, eyes sparkling with mischief and dripping pool water on me. I liked my lips quickly as I took in his golden tanned skin and turquoise board shorts; the matching white and turquoise hat was perched on my head.

"Ah-Hi," I smiled up at him and tossed my legs aside, freeing the end of the lounge for him.

"Hi darlin'." He grinned at me and appreciatively looked me over, taking in everything from my hair piled under his hat and blue ruched halter suit down to my perfectly pedicured toes, a gift from Rosalie, and coming back to rest once again on my abdomen. I felt my cheeks flushing and steeled my spine. This would not do.

"Like what you see darlin'?" I teased, adding a drawl to my voice.

"You don't even know how much," he whispered, kissing me quickly.

"Jesus Christ!" Rose called playfully from the chair next to mine, "Get a room!" She punctuated her statement by hurling a handful of ice cubes at us.

"In that case, Rosie-poise," Jasper grinned, "We'll be in yours." Emmett chuckled loudly and Jasper pulled me off the chaise and into the house, laughing the whole way to the kitchen.

"Jasper, you're too much," I gasped, trying to catch my breath from laughing.

"You don't even know darlin', "he reiterated and smiled at me, his gaze intense.

"What?"

"Will you come out with me tonight?" I tried to keep the shock off my face.

"Of course, where are we going?" I was intrigued and, to be blatantly honest, a bit aroused, at the thought of spending the evening out alone with the beautiful man in front of me.

"That, my dear, is for me to know," he said with a grin.

"Well, how do I know what to wear?" I barely kept the panic out of my voice.

"Talk to Rose; she spoke with Alice." He kissed my head and turned to leave. "Seven o'clock?"

"Yeah, that's great," I stuttered, sitting on a stool at the counter, my mind spinning. What the fuck just happened?

"Come on, sweetie!" Rose's voice pulled me out of my reverie. "We've got some work to do." She grinned, looking for all the world like Alice. Oh shit.

It was 15 minutes before I was supposed to meet Jasper, and my foot was shaking nervously.

"Bella, stop moving, I'm going to mess up!" Rosalie was currently in the process of applying a light color on my lips and I froze instantly. "Thank you." She replaced the cap with a click and dropped it into my silver clutch, so thoughtfully provided by Alice. "You do realize, sweet pea, that you have nothing to be nervous about?" She was now pulling my hair back with sparkling silver clips.

"How's that?"

"Sweetheart, you're already pregnant, what other shenanigans can you get into." She kissed the top of my head quickly. "Okay darlin', check yourself out." Rose grinned and pulled the sheet off the full length mirror. She and Alice were going to get it one of these days. I caught a glimpse of my reflection and gasped. My hair hung down my back, curling slightly at the ends and diamonds, courtesy of Alice's mothers' jewelry box I'm sure, sparkled at my ears, throat and wrist. The short sleeved blush dress that I wore was cut low to give a nice view of my recently ample cleavage, which had been helped by a beautiful purple flowered bra, and a satin ribbon encircled my waist. The dress ended a few inches below my knees, and I wore sliver heels on my feet. The main difference with this dress, as opposed to everything that I had been wearing for the last three months, was that it was cut close to my body, emphasizing my baby bump rather than hiding it. I felt my eyes water a bit as I rested my hand on the now prominent spot.

"Isabella, don't you dare cry, you'll ruin your eyes," Alice's voice suddenly rang out and I laughed. What the hell? I glanced at Rose and she was holding her phone open, the speaker function on and my mischievous pixie friend's musical laughter floating through the room.

"Alice, this is wonderful."

"I know." Her answer was matter of fact, and I heard Edward laugh loudly in the background.

"Thank God you finally have that on Bells; she has been talking about that dress for weeks!" Weeks? Jesus how long had she been planning this?

"Bella, listen to me," Alice was feeling bossy. "When you're out tonight, make sure you enjoy yourself honey, you deserve it." I grinned at my friend, regardless of the fact that she couldn't see me through the phone.

"Thank you, Alice." My voice was heavy with emotion.

"Bells?" Edward was back on the line and Alice was giggling in the background. "Make sure you stay safe." I could hear him fighting to keep from dissolving into laughter. "Alice said there's a condom in your-" I stalked across the room and hung up the phone before he could finish. Rose was looking at me with bright eyes.

"They were right, Bella; you are beautiful when you're mad." Those assholes! They set me up!

"I hate you all. Every one of you." I purposely pouted my lip and Rose laughed hysterically. Fuck them.

"You don't hate me do you, darlin'?" Jasper's honeyed voice drifted to me from the doorway and I turned, sucking in my breath as I took him in. Beautiful black suit, light green shirt, black tie, black fedora and black fucking Chucks. Hot as hell.

"Of course not," I stated simply, once my vocal capabilities returned.

"Good, otherwise these would be a waste." He grinned and produced a beautiful bouquet of pale pink roses from behind his back. I fought to keep my jaw from dropping, but I lost.

"They're beautiful, thank you." I accepted the flowers and drank in their heady fragrance.

"I'll go put those in a vase." Rose flitted by me, dropping a thin silver wrap over my shoulders and replacing the roses with the silver clutch. "Have fun, kids!" She vanished down the hall in a flash.

"Shall we?" he grinned and offered me his arm.

"We shall," I replied, and we descended the stairs slowly to save my dignity and prevent me from falling.

"Look at you two," Esme's musical voice floated across the foyer from the sitting room where she and Carlisle were having coffee. She crossed the room quickly and wrapped Jasper in a warm embrace. "You are so handsome." She smiled at him and he flushed charmingly. "And Bella, you're breathtaking honey. That dress is perfect." She smiled so brightly taking us in. Her eyes rested on my abdomen, and her face lit up. Her mouth had not even opened, and I answered her question.

"Of course," I said simply and she placed a perfectly manicured hand on my abdomen, looking back at her husband with tears in her eyes. He smiled back and stood beside her, placing a hand on the small of her back.

"Bella, you look lovely." I had shared few words with the handsome doctor over my stay but he had proven to be exceptionally honest and genuine. It was easy to see where Jasper got his personality from. Esme finally removed her hand from my stomach and wrapped me in a sweet hug. "Thank you, honey," she whispered in my ear. I returned the embrace, sighing when she pulled away.

"We should be heading out," Jasper's voice was soft and caring.

"Of course," Esme said placing a kiss on her son's cheek and then mine. "Have fun."

I gave a tiny wave as Jasper lead me out into the evening towards his car, opening his door for me.

"So are you going to tell me where we are going?" I teased him as we began the drive into the slowly darkening night, the radio playing softly.

"You'll see in about five minutes," he responded cryptically, with a grin. I leaned back and enjoyed the light breeze.

The car slowed to a stop a few minutes later, and I looked around in confusion. We had stopped at the end of a dirt road at the mouth of a small meadow, a tiny cabin set back among the trees, the pinks and oranges of the sunset shining down on us. Jasper hopped out of the car, quickly walking around and opening my door for me, escorting me out before grabbing a basket and a guitar from the trunk of the car. I took the large wicker hamper and squealed, clapping my hands together.

"A picnic!" I was beyond thrilled and kissed Jasper firmly in appreciation, the smile never leaving my face.

"Yes indeed darlin'." Even in the dimming light I could see his smile, and we began walking along the small dirt path to the meadow. I felt myself start to stumble and quickly righted myself, taking off my ridiculous shoes and skipping to catch up with him. We reached the center of the meadow and Jasper quickly spread out a white blanket and motioned me to sit before unpacking the rest of the hamper. My eyes grew wide as he produced cold fried chicken, mile high biscuits, a green salad and a jug of what I knew to be decaffeinated sweet tea.

"Jasper, this looks amazing!" I grinned at him as he sat next to me, stretching his long legs in front of him.

"I'm glad you like it darlin', eat, please." He gestured and I complied, savoring every morsel of the delicious food. I could feel his eyes on me as I finished eating.

"What, Jasper?" The intensity of his gaze made me shiver.

"I like looking at you, Isabella, you are very beautiful." His voice was soft and husky. I felt the heat rush into my cheeks.

"You done darlin'?" I nodded my head as he rose, reaching a hand out to help me up.

"Thank you," I grinned and looked up at him, the soft purples of twilight casting shadows on his face. I watched as he quickly picked up the remnants of our meal and refilled the large basket before sliding his guitar strap over his shoulder and gently taking my hand, leading me across the field and up the steps of the small, dark cabin.

"Ah Jasper-who's-" My stilted questions were cut off as he unlocked the door and turned on a light before escorting me in. I looked around the rustic cabin, taking in the small similarities to the large Whitlock house. The walls were honey blonde and simple elegant touches, which I now recognized as Esme's, decorated the space.

"Jasper, this is beautiful," I glanced at my companion who was standing behind me.

"Thank you darlin'. This is my dad's, vacation cabin, as it were." He gave a small smile at me as I wandered towards the overstuffed white couch and sank down into is cozy depths with a sigh.

"Comfy, huh?" He quickly shrugged off his jacket, hat, socks and shoes and sat on the floor by my feet gazing up at me.

"Very," I mumbled as I absently ran my fingers through his soft hair, eliciting a moan from deep in his throat.

"Do you have any idea how good that feels?" Jasper had tipped his head back and closed his eyes.

"Maybe," I said shyly, as my fingers continued running through his shaggy curls, and down to the nape of his neck, gently running my nails across the tiny expanse of skin I found there, earning myself another moan from Jasper and a spark in my stomach at the sound.

"Mmmmm, Bella, I think you know exactly how good that feels," His voice was gravely and his eyes shone. I chewed my lip for a moment quickly lowering myself to the floor next to him.

"What would you say if I told you that I did?" My hand was back, stroking his cheek softly.

"I don't think I'd say anything." Jasper's voice was low and he pulled me down to him, our lips crashing together in an unspoken need. One of my hands wove into his hair and the other stroked his chest, fighting futilely with his tie as he chuckled into my mouth before pulling me back and giving me easier access to get the offending piece of material out of the way. Once undone, I tossed it to the side and returned to his lips, gasping as his hands slid down my back and his lips down my neck. I moaned his name softly as he continued to trail kisses down my chest licking and nibbling gently at the exposed skin there. I gently ran my nails up and down his back, his kisses leaving me lightheaded. I shifted my weight in his lap and he groaned loudly, not bothering to stifle it as I felt his hardness press into my thigh. He pulled away from me and placed his hands on my hips.

"Bella, I really don't want to do this on a cold floor." His breathing was ragged and he dropped a quick kiss on my lips before standing, keeping me in his arms the whole time, gently setting me down, never looking away from my eyes.

"Come with me?" He asked, extending a hand to me, a hint of shyness in his voice.

"Of course," I smiled and followed as he led me up the stairs to the bedroom that took up the whole of the second floor, quickly lighting a candle on the night stand before turning and looking at me.

"Come here darlin'?" It was a question, not an order, and I obliged, slipping back into his arms and quickly going to work on the buttons of his shirt, impatiently yanking the fabric out of his waist band and pushing it off his shoulders before meeting his lips again, running my hands along the soft skin of his back even as his twisted in my hair.

"Jesus, Bella." His voice was raspy as I stroked the base of his throat, my nails skimming along the cool platinum chain that he wore.

"Hmmm?" I muttered, completely lost in this man, whose touch I had craved for the last three months. I ran my hands down his chest to rest on his belt buckle, unhooking the soft suede and feeling it slip through my fingers as it dropped to the floor, my hands resting on the waistband of his pants, gently tracing small patters along the soft skin of his stomach and he moaned loudly, his own hands fumbling with the ribbon at my waist.

"Darlin' that feels so good."

I swallowed hard and quickly unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, sliding them down over his hips, running my hands back up over his silk boxers. Jasper lowered his head and met my eyes, and I gasped at what I saw there. His eyes were dark with desire and need. He gently pulled me against him, and I moaned as his erection pressed against my stomach and his hands finally untied the ribbon at my waist before searching out the zipper on my back. His breath tickled my ear before he slowly lowered the zipper and teasingly kissed my neck.

"Jasper please-"

My senses were overloaded, and I gasped at the cool air hitting my bare skin as my dress puddled to the floor at my feet, followed by my bra and his boxers.

I felt him take a step back and opened my eyes to find him looking at me, seemingly memorizing my body. He licked his lips and smiled, returning to me.

"Beautiful," he muttered into my hair, wrapping his arms around me and gently laying me down on the soft bed, running his hands up and down my sides and over the curves of my breasts as I trembled beneath his touch. I met his lips again and he pulled me to him, causing us both to moan with the contact.

"I need you, Isabella." His words were whispered into my ear as his hands rested on my hips, his fingers slid under the waistband of my panties, the last barrier between us. "Say yes, Bella," he moaned into my ear.

"Yes, Jasper, please."

The words were no sooner out of my mouth than the offending scrap was gone and Jasper was above me, pressing against my entrance.

I opened my eyes to meet his and nodded, meeting his lips as he slid easily into me, both of us crying out in pleasure, nails digging into his biceps as he slowly moved inside me, my hips shifting to meet his. We began to move together, slowly at first, with increasing speed as we both approached our release. I held on to him for dear life as I began to fall over the edge, crying out his name in ecstasy as he exploded inside me. Our breathing slowed as we started coming down, Jasper gently stroking my face, murmuring sweet words into my hair, pausing only as he slipped out of me and pulled me to his chest.

"My Bella," he muttered, eyes closed, resting a hand on my abdomen, "my love."

I sighed at his words as I buried my face into his neck and slipped into sleep.

I woke the next morning to soft yellow sunlight streaming through the sheer white blinds. I smiled and stretched languidly, my tired muscles protesting. Last night's activity had certainly given them more of a work out than they had had in quite a while. I giggled softly and buried my face in the pillow. I was ridiculously, disgustingly happy.

"What's so funny darlin'?" Jasper's voice startled me and I looked up to find him leaning on the post at the top of the stairs. Jesus Christ, no one had a right to look that good first thing in the morning. His hair was mussed, sticking in all directions, the morning sun glistening on the lighter pieces that had lighted over the summer and his hazel eyes were still dark from sleep. He had his green shirt unbuttoned, revealing the gold skin beneath and hanging loose over his pants from last evening, sans the belt, and they hung low on his hips, and bagged slightly over his feet.

"Nothing," I smiled at him easily and flopped back down into the comfy bed.

"Really?" Jasper lay on his side next to me. "That smile doesn't look like nothing," he teased and gave me a sweet kiss, and I sighed.

"Really. I'm just happy this morning is all." I knew I had a stupid ass grin on my face and I didn't care a bit.

"And why may that be?" His voice was dripping with mock innocence and his eyes were twinkling.

"You, Mr. Whitlock," I smiled, fiddling with the collar on his shirt," know exactly why I'm so happy this morning."

"You're right, I do, and I just want to hear you say it."

What devilish man he was. I grinned and dropped my voice a bit.

"What is it exactly you want to hear, darlin'?" I deliberately drawled out the word. "Did you want to hear about the beautiful picnic I had or the fantastic-"

He cut me off quickly, "I think I get it darlin'." Jasper looked away from me and was fidgeting with his shirt buttons. He almost seemed nervous and he raked his hands through his hair and sat up against the headboard. Interesting. I pulled myself up to sit next to him, pulling the sheet up over my breasts, in a surprising show of modesty. We had slept together twice, he had just seen me lying here clad in nothing but a sheet and the jewelry I was still wearing and I was pregnant with his child. Worrying about him seeing my breasts seemed a bit ridiculous. I twisted my messy hair up into a bun and searched Jasper's eyes with my own.

"What's wrong, Jasper?" My voice was quiet and soft and I rested my hand on his, in an attempt to prevent him from raking it through his hair again. He sighed heavily and gave me a sad smile.

"What is it?" All memories of my good morning dissipated and a chill settled into my spine at that look. I swear I could feel my heart breaking a little, and I didn't know why. This man owed me nothing. The reason that I was even sitting with him right now was because of a point one percent chance of a drug not working. I'm sure my face betrayed my emotions because he was quickly reassuring.

"It's nothing bad, Bella, don't worry. I'm just… confused about…" his words died off slowly and the silence hung between us like a cloud.

"About us?" I finished for him and he nodded. "Me, too."

"What are we, Bella?" He paused and searched my eyes," This-us, it was never just about sex, I think you know that." I nodded and let him continue. "Good. When I saw you that morning, on the boat? I felt-drawn to you, I can't explain it." He sighed and his hands were back in his hair. "And now you're here, with me and pregnant with my child, OUR child." I couldn't stop my smile as he rested his hand on my tummy again. "I want to do this right Bella, but I don't want you to think that I'm here just because you are pregnant-that's not-I-Fuck." My eyes teared and I slid my arms around him.

"I know, Jasper. This isn't the way I had thought things would happen but I'm-I wouldn't change it. I don't expect anything from you, you know." He looked up at me and opened his mouth to speak, and I shook my head. "I need to finish or I won't be able to." He smiled and nodded for me to continue. "I don't expect you to love me, or marry me or even stay with me, and I don't want you to, not for the wrong reason." I blinked back my tears and took a shaky breath. "Jasper, I know how you feel about this baby, but I don't, won't let her..." Shit. I stumbled for words, "…trap us. I grew up in a family that only existed because my mom was pregnant, and I watched that family slowly fall away," I stopped fighting the tears and let them flow freely, "I watched my mom fade away slowly and my dad shut himself off from everyone. I know they cared about each other but there was no love in that marriage. They just wanted to do what was right and it broke them, slowly. Charlie is finally coming back to me. But my mom- she's gone, Jasper, it was too much for her and I watched her fade away until she was nothing. I won't let that happen, not to either of us. If we work, then we do but if not- I know what you believe and how you were raised and I respect that, more than anything," I sniffled and wiped my eyes, "but I will not have you sign away everything that you could be because of me." I gave him a sad, lopsided smile. "I know that I have feelings for you, and I feel like they may be reciprocal but they are nowhere near where they should be for a-" my nose wrinkled a bit at the word, "marriage. I know that it may be the right thing, that a baby may be enough, in some people's eyes but it's not in mine." I laughed bitterly at myself and my longwinded, pretentious bullshit speech and looked at Jasper, waiting for a reaction. The one I got was not what I had expected.

"I agree with you, Isabella."

Wait, what? My good Southern, door opening, check paying, hand kissing, polite to a fault Jasper agreed with me? I had been ready to argue with him. I had prepared myself for it actually, many times, in the weeks leading up to this trip. He grinned at the shock that was evident on my face.

"Let me explain. I want to do right by you and by her," his voice softened as he gently stroked my abdomen, "but I won't do anything that neither of us are ready for, I mean we're nineteen for fu- God's sake. I have feelings for you, and I think I know where they are headed, but I'm not positive and I won't let what people have told me cloud this issue. You are too important to me for that and I never, EVER, want to resent you or our daughter." The words flowed easily form his lips and I got choked up. "I will ask you, though, to give me a chance. I know things are a little-out of order- but I think we could have something amazing." He gave me a dazzling smile, and I nodded like a fool, wiping my tears with the back of my hands. I wonder if I could blame the hormones?

"That being said," Jasper continued, "I have something for you. You don't have to accept it, but I would be, more than pleased if you did." I looked at him hesitantly as he reached and grabbed a small silver box off the night stand.

"Jasper-"

"Just wait a minute, impatient one. I'm not gonna ask you to marry me." I gave a sigh of relief. "Now," he chuckled and I narrowed my eyes at him, "I do want to give you something though." He pressed the tiny box in my hands, and it felt cool and slick on my fingers. "Open it? Please?" I glanced down and read the engraving on the lid...Tiffany and Company...Oh hell.

"Jasper!"

"Isabella, just open the damn box already and stop complaining please." His voice was infuriatingly calm, and I attempted to shoot him a dirty look. Yeah, that didn't work. So I just shook my head and opened the box and gasped.

Inside, nestled elegantly on a bed of satin against the cedar lining of the box were a ring and a tiny baby anklet. I gently picked up the ring and admired it. Round pink stones, that I assumed to be sapphires, alternated with sparkling oval diamonds in a gleaming platinum setting. I'd have to thank Alice for the jewelry lessons over the years. The anklet was a delicate silver chain with a small pink sapphire heart dangling from it. I was speechless as I looked from the jewelry in my hands to the man sitting across from me, tears once again forming in my eyes.

"For our daughter?" I asked, fingering the delicate chain and Jasper nodded, biting his bottom lip as he smiled.

"And her mother, hopefully." I shook my head, far to overcome to say anything, and slipped the ring on my right ring finger, swallowing hard as I watched it sparkle in the morning light.

"Thank you, Jasper!" I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my face to his chest. "It's way, way too much, but thank you."

His chest vibrated with his laughter. "That's more like my girl."

"Yeah," I muttered, "it is." I smiled brightly and for the second time, my morning made a complete change. This time for the better.

**All right babies, let's curl up for Pups' fic rec corner. First up this week we have a different sort of story by a much loved author: Let your fingers do the Talking by Busymommy. This fic is just- GAH. It literally makes me melt… Busymommy somehow manages to make it hot as hell and still gorgeous at the same time. I am envious, for sure. Okay, for my next rec I am gonna go a little off the map here…. Isolation by The luscious Bex-Chan is the first Harry Potter fic I have read and I am ADDICTED to her work, and Dramonie fics in general now. All right my little babies- go, read and review. Don't forget to tell them Pups sent you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**What I own: several pairs of amazingly awesome stripper heels, a meager book collection, a ton of make-up from Sephora, a filthy mouth and a bunch of Twilight DVD's What I don't: Twilight itself. That belongs to SMeyer and, despite a strong physical resemblance, I'm not her. If Twilight were mine, there would be lots more…fun to be had. I'm making nothing off of this and no copyright infringement is intended. I also don't own any of the movies used either. Well, the rights to them anyway, I have them on DVD!**

**A/N This was beta'd by the AMAZING Beta-mom Clara Bella, who just makes me smile and fixes all of my excessive comma usage with her crazy beta skills. Because I can't leave well enough alone, I fiddled with it afterwards. Any and all mistakes are mine all mine. Major shout outs to my awesome ficwife Skychaser for endless handholding, skyping, encouragement, texts and bewbie gropes. I love her hard. And the ladies and gents over at the FFA and Going Under for the Third Time groups on Facebook….This story wouldn't exist without them, like, literally. Major shout outs to hobee1971 who made a GORGOUS banner for this piece…I still get tingles when I see it! I'm not below bribery and reviews will be rewarded with sneak peeks and possibly pole dances. Thanks for reading!**

"How the hell did this happen?" Jasper's voice was a very endearing combination of shock, awe, confusion and disgust. I tried not to laugh at him, I really did but I failed. Miserably. I didn't even pretend to be sorry because, honestly? The outfit he was sporting was kind of hilarious.

"Ummm...Alice is magic?" I replied, once the laughter had ceased, offering no reasonable to his answer whatsoever and receiving a playful glare in return.

"Hey, you've seen what she's done with my clothes, I can't explain how she does what she does...she just...does it." Yeah, that made sense.

Jasper shook his head and sat down beside me in the rather ridiculous guest room at the aforementioned girl's house, which had been mine since before I could remember, and fell back with a sigh.

**fb**

The last two months had been difficult to say the least. I had arrived home from Texas and attempted to busy myself with work at Newton's Outfitters, spending time with Mike, Angela and Ben all of whom were going to college in Port Angeles. I did everything I could to avoid Charlie. To say he did not take my pregnancy well was an understatement. He was livid and ended up going to La Push for nearly a week. When he finally returned, thanks in part too much coaxing from Sue and Billy, he seemed… distant. He spoke to me as little as possible and even when he did his words were clipped and cold. Tensions finally got so bad that I just moved into Alice's for the duration. That had been a month and a half ago and things were finally starting to look up. Jasper and I talked at least once every day and I kept both him and his family updated on my pregnancy. As much as I loved the sound of his voice, I missed him terribly and almost ached to have him beside me again.

It was the Friday before Halloween and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett had all flown up, at Alice's...insistent request, to visit and come to her rather legendary Halloween party. Every year she outdid herself. Her dad and Mom were usually in LA so little Alice had the house to herself. Even if her parents were here, the likelihood that they would care if she had a party in her house? About a googolplex to one.

We were greeted by the door flying open before we had a chance to knock and Alice flashed by, all black yoga pants and dark hair and a shirt that, I was pretty sure, had been Edwards at some point in time, and jumped, like quite literally, into Emmett's arms. Oh, Alice. I shook my head at Alice's...Aliceness and sighed.

"Well seeing as Alice has forgotten her manners "Edwards smooth voice rang out from the doorway, "Please come in." He smiled warmly at the small crowd that had assembled. He exchanged pleasantries with Jasper quickly before wrapping Rosalie in a strong embrace. I shook my head and grabbed Jasper's hand, leading him in. "Welcome To Alice's." I said with a smile as we waited in the foyer for the four people still embracing on the porch. Jasper and I both looked around the large house in awe at the thought that had so obviously gone into planning tonight's gathering. Black and dark red candles in black metal holders in all sizes and shapes sat on nearly every flat surface, accompanied by dark rich looking red roses, cobwebs had been strung up along the crown molding, and sitting on top of the shining black Bosendorfer piano was a rather large display of bright, almost shockingly, red roses. There were also black spiders and bowls of assorted Halloween candies set out all over the sitting room and, I'm sure, the decorations spread throughout the rest of the house.

"So?" Alice skipped back in the room, followed closely by Edward, Emmett and Rosalie, "What do you think?"

"It's wonderful Alice" I said simply, the awe evident in my voice.

"It really does Ali" Jasper chimed in.

"Thanks!" Alice replied, practically glowing with pride at her accomplishment. Alice's major love, next to fashion, was party planning and she was damn good at it too.

"So Runt "Emmett teased her, "Where are our costumes."

Alice shot him a decidedly stern glare that softened as soon as he flashed her dimples. Emmett was terrible and not only did he know it, he loved it.

"Well," she began with a cheeky grin, "They are in your rooms." Edward and my eyes met and we fought not to roll them, he losing said battle before I did and muttering under his breath.

"Edward you lost." She barely registered the interruption as she continued." As you know, my theme tonight is famous movie couples so I have picked costumes that I think are..."She paused delicately" fitting for you all. They are in your rooms upstairs and you are more than welcome to go and check them out but you can't tell anyone. Well except for the person you are with."

I had to hand it to Alice, she was certainly...creative.

I shook my head and laughed at my petite friend. "Okay Al, who's where?" I had spent nearly every weekend here growing up, and some long weeks as well.

"Bells, you and Jazz are in your room, Edward and Emmett are in the blue room and Rosalie is in the pink room." She punctuated her words with a flip of her long, dark curls. Wait,what?

"Alice your hair?" There was more than a hint of speculation in my voice. She was up to something. Her usually short, spiky dark hair was tucked up under a long, luxurious looking black wig that curled softly almost to her waist.

"Duh Bella...its part of my costume" Her words were teasing. I was not at all surprised. Halloween was Alice's favorite holiday and she always went all out. "Now, get up those stairs." She shooed the lot of us towards the large, cobweb covered staircase."It's been a long day and I'm sure you'll want to catch up, or rest or...something." There was no double entendre in her words, the message was explicit and I laughed.

"Alright, come along" I called as I headed up the stairs with Jasper , Rose and Emmett following closely behind me with their luggage and I directed both of them to their rooms as we passed before entering my own with Jasper and collapsing on the fluffy bed with a sigh. Fuck all I was exhausted.

"What's wrong darlin'?" I felt the bed dip as my companion lay down next to me.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just really tired "I mumbled into his chest, snuggling into his arms and inhaling deeply.

"Well, you can take a nap before we get ready, Alice said you'd have plenty of time."His words were soft and he gently began stroking my hair.

"Okay" I muttered, wanting nothing more than to sleep for hours with the man next to me. "Will you sing to me?"

Jasper chuckled softly at my request. He knew that was the perfect way to get me to sleep."Of course." He stated quietly, shifting a bit so I was resting in his chest."Did you have anything specific in mind?"

I shook my head slightly.

"Okay. Close your eyes sweetie?" I complied and relaxed into his embrace as his smooth, soft voice began to wash over me.

"Must be your skin that I'm sinking in, Must be for real cause now I can feel and I didn't mind, it's not my kind, not my time to wonder why every-thing's gone white and every-thing's grey now you're here now you away I don't want this remember that I'll never forget where you're at -"

Despite the song being one of my favorites I drifted off to sleep before he could even reach the chorus.

"Bella...Bella...Isabella..." Alice's mischievous voice permeated the fog of my sleep and I tried ignoring it, clinging to the last bit of calm that remained from my nap. "Wakey, wakey mama. Come on, you need to get ready" I grumbled and frowned before sitting up, the soft sage colored throw that had been placed over me falling to my lap.

"Hi Ali." I muttered with a yawn before really looking at my friend.

"Alice, you look..." I was at a loss for words. Alice's slim form was draped in a sumptuous looking white gown that cinched in her tiny waist before flowing out into a full skirt. Her dark wig had been pulled partially back off of her softly made up face and a pair of feather wings rested on her shoulders. My friend looked so different than I ever remember seeing her and yet, at the same time, exactly how she should.

Her eyes twinkled as she jumped up and spun around, her skirt flowing about her. "Isn't it perfect?"

"Umm...it would be, if I knew who you were" The entire ensemble was familiar to me and yet I couldn't place it.

"Unh-uh! You'll see when you come down. Now." She placed her hands on her tiny hips,"You need to get up, shower and change. Your man has been out around town with Em and Edward, doing god knows what, but he's back and showering. Come on girl, up" She grabbed my hand and helped me off of the bed.

"Al, I haven't even looked at my costume yet...what do I need to-"

"Just shower and blow dry your hair before looking." My face must have given away my fears, "No worries baby, you'll love it. And you won't need any help getting ready." Her eyes twinkled again as she left, "Get moving mama!" She hollered through the closed door. I shook my head and laughed softly heading into the bathroom and turning on the shower. Stripping off my clothes I took a long look at myself in the mirror. My abdomen was noticeably rounded now and my breasts considerably fuller, I could barely fit into any of my old shirts and my jeans were the thing of memories. Resting a hand on my stomach I smiled quickly before stepping into the shower and luxuriating in the feel of the warm water washing over my tired muscles. Finishing quickly, I stepped out and wrapped in a towel, quickly blow drying my hair straight and exiting the bathroom.

Jasper was sitting on the bed looking at the two garment bags that were now lying there.

"How the hell did this happen?" I glanced into the bag in front of him and tried to suppress my laughter...Oh Alice.

Half an hour later I was dressed, lightly made up and ready to head down stairs to see my friends. I quickly pulled my hair into a messy ponytail and was tying my shoes as Jasper walked in. Glancing up at him I lost it. He was fucking adorable. All except for the frown on his face that is. "I hate her." He mumbled, digging his shoe into the carpet. Wiping the tears from my eyes and quickly thanking Alice for my low maintenance costume and fortunate natural makeup, I pulled him against me in a tight hug.

"You know that's not true." I admonished with a smile, "Right?"

"Right" He grumbled, trying to hide a grin.

"I think you look..."I had to search for the right words, "totally boss." I finished with a grin and he shook his head at me.

"Let's get this over with." He took my hand and we headed down towards the sitting room where our friends waited. Descending the stairs I stopped short at the sight in front of me, trying to make sense of who everyone was. Rosalie, her blonde hair curled and dressed in a stunning tiered, ankle length, pale blue gown with black accents and white boots sat on the chaise talking with Alice the angel. Again I was stumped as to who she was supposed to be. Until, that is, I looked over to find Emmett and Edward at the piano. Emmett had on a partial suit of shiny silver armor over a silver chain-mail shirt, a sword at his waist and black pants and shoes. I processed this for a moment and smiled. Devious little Alice, she was good. Edward's costume, however, was obvious as all get out: Tall green velvet hat, frizzy orange wig, white face paint accented with heavy eye makeup and red lips, a velvet smoking jacket and black pants. I laughed hysterically, drawing the attention of everyone in the room and clutching the banister for support as I descended the stairs and the pieces slid into place.

My laughter died finally as I sat between Rose and Alice and Jasper plopped next to Edward on the piano bench.

Emmett's eyes twinkled and a huge smile formed before he opened his mouth to speak. "Cuz you-"

"Shut the fuck up Emmett. Don't you say a fucking thing" Jasper's words were harsh but his tone was resigned and Emmett closed his mouth.

"You two?" Alice squealed, "Look great. Jazz come here and stand with Bella, I want to get the full effect." She bounced up and pulled Jasper off the bench and over to me. Her eyes gleamed. "Perfect!" And it was. My hair in a messy ponytail, pieces hanging on either side of my face, black patterned hoodie, orange and white striped t-shirt stretched across my ever expanding belly, worn jeans with a grey pleated skirt and a pair of super comfy plaid chucks. I was in heaven. Jasper, on the other hand, looked kind of mortified and I couldn't really blame him. Crimson dancing elk logo t-shirt, yellow running shorts with matching head and wrist bands, yellow banded knee socks and running shoes. I tried not to laugh and kissed his cheek.

"Say it. Please Bells?" Edward piped up from the piano bench and I sighed.

"Which one?" I replied and Emmett, Jasper and Rose exchanged confused looks.

"I'm having a little trouble concentrating." Alice quoted in response and I smiled at her choice.

"Oh, well I could sell you some of my Adderall if you want" I replied quickly, with a small smile as my little friend walked over to me.

"No thanks I'm off pills" Alice actually managed to sound slightly forlorn and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

"That's a wise choice because I knew this girl who like had this crazy freak out because she took too many behavioral meds at once and she like ripped off her clothes, and dove into the fountain at Ridgedale Mall and was like, "Blah I am a Kraken from the sea!" I knew the lines by heart.

"Um, I heard that was you" And again, Alice sounded slightly ashamed, the girl was in the wrong business.

"Well, it was good seeing ya Su-Chin" Almost before I was finished speaking, her arms were around me and she was laughing.

"I swear that never gets old" Edward chimed from the piano, fingers dancing softly across the keys.

Emmett shook his head at us and laughed softly. "You guys are too fucking much."

"Yeah" Alice replied with a dazzling grin, "We kind of are. And you love it." She said, sticking her tongue out at him.

'Yeah, "Emmett replied,"Yeah we kind of do."

Rose stood up and hugged her brother playfully, ruffling his hair "aww bro...So cute."

Jasper couldn't hide his smile as he returned his sisters hug and gave me a quick wink. He was like the cheese to my macaroni.

**Pups' fic rec corner: Alright my little lovelies, today I only have one rec for you and it is an amazing one. I have probably rec'd it before but it is now complete and you all must read it. The amazingly beautiful Remember Me Tomorrow by my wifey Sky Chaser is now complete. As in done. As in no more updates. Okay, maybe a little epilogue but no guarantees. Now my loves, fly like the wind and go read, but I warn you, you'll need tissues. I snotsobbed like nobody's business, but in a good way. Alright, run along and read and review. Don't forget to tell her Pups sent you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Twilight. I don't own it. If I did it would DEF NOT be a YA book. I am making NOTHING off of this work of fiction.**

**I know this is not even close to what I usually write but I needed to get it out…. If you know me, you know why. This has not been beta'd so any and all mistakes are my own. Much love and thanks to my readers and my ladies and gents over at FFA and GU on FB. Extra hugs to my wifey Sky Chaser for everything. Alright, I think that's it. Oh! You may want a tissue, I am not quite sure. **

The dim sunlight pushed through the early fall clouds and dappled the brown grass of the meadow where I currently sat, securely in Jaspers arms, his hand and mine both resting on my ever growing belly. A cool October wind rattled the bare leaves on the trees, an occasional brown leaf floating elegantly to the ground. The clearing we sat in was one that I had been to dozens, if not hundreds of times before and now, returning for the first time since losing Renee I was flooded with emotions and felt my eyes tear up. I squeezed them closed tightly as if the action would will the memories away, instead it had the opposite effect and I saw her grinning face clearer than I had in ages. My loving, eclectic, live life on her terms mother, her bright smile floated through my mind and, if I tried, I could almost hear her contagious, husky laugh filtering through the trees.

"Bella?" Jaspers voice was soft in my ear and pulled me out of my reverie. I forced a smile and turned to face him. Finding his eyes filled with concern my smile dropped and I gave up all pretense of pretending of being alright and the tears began and I clung to him, offering silent support and solace as he gently rubbed my back as I cried, the tears hot against the cool skin of my cheek before soaking into the shoulder of his green jacket. I lost track of time as sobs wracked my body, the last two years of emotions, which I had worked so hard to keep in control now flooded to the surface.

Eventually my tears subsided and my shoulders stopped shaking. I felt Jasper place a small kiss on my temple and I shifted my position carefully, turning so, once again my back was pressed against his chest and our joined hands traced gentle patterns along the soft pink cotton that was stretched across my stomach. I took a few deep, calming breaths and opened my eyes, looking down at our feet. My bright pink Chucks rested just next to jaspers black ones, both pairs speckled with mud and scuffed to hell from the walk up here.

"Tell me about it Angel" Jaspers voice was low and pleading, and I knew I owed it to him. Over the months that we had known each other we had talked about everything, with the glaring exception of one subject: My mother. Jasper knew that she had passed but that was it. I still had a hard time even thinking about it but I knew that I owed this to him, not to mention myself and Renee. I took a deep, shuddering breath and began.

"My mom was…" I paused, searching for the right word to explain Renee and coming up blank, "she was a force of nature. She lived her life how she wanted, on her own terms. "I smiled softly and my mind began to drift, snippets of memories long forgotten flooding to the surface. "Renee was a contradiction at every turn: she was a devout Catholic and attended church weekly but she cursed like a sailor and was tattooed as much as she could get away with" I laughed softly and rested my head against Jaspers shoulder , looking up at the blue-grey sky. "She had this one tattoo on her ankle…. I thought it was snoopy for the longest time," the tattoo formed in my mind, almost unbidden and I grinned, "and she didn't do anything to change that thought. It wasn't until I was about 12 that I noticed the devil tail and raised middle finger on everyone's favorite Beagle" I felt Jasper's chuckle start deep in his chest before before I heard it and I laughed with him.

"Tell me more love "His words were a soft, gentle command and I could not deny him.

As Jasper held me safely in his arms the words began tumbling out and I was powerless to stop them.

"She was always so full of life, so…. Vital. Even when she was sick she just radiated this energy, people wanted to be near her. And she knew EVERYONE. I know, Forks isn't exactly a bustling metropolis but when we went to La Push, or Port Angeles….hell even in Seattle we rarely went somewhere without her seeing at least one person she knew" I chuckled softly and relaxed against Jasper, the warmth from his firm chest seeping through our layers of clothes into my back. "She never let anyone tell her she couldn't do anything, when she was young. " I grinned as her stories drifted back through my mind. "She ran away from home at 16 to go to Woodstock. She loved Janis Joplin; we would always listen to her greatest hits when we cleaned the house…. She was an Army brat growing up and I think that's why she had such a hard time staying here…. She loved to travel, you know? Meet new people, see the sights. "My voice dropped slightly and my hand rested on my stomach "she only settled down because she was pregnant. I was her world when I was growing up, or so it seemed. I know she worked but I have such a vague recollection of her jobs… she did everything: waitress, short order cook, masseuse, bartender, orderly… she always had some crazy tales of what was going on. And no matter what she was doing she always wore Chanel no. 5. I never knew why, I just know that she always had the bottle on her nightstand and I could smell it when she hugged me goodnight. We, Charlie, my mom and I, lived modestly but well. I didn't do much after school, preferring to read but she did make me take dance lessons," I scrunched up my nose a little at the memory," and she was at every single recital or show for 6 years. She cheered louder than anyone in the auditorium…. For me, for my friends, "my eyes misted again and I could hear her clear voice yelling my name over the applause, " I was embarrassed beyond belief but I know that she did it because she loved me so much."

I sighed softly and resituated myself in Jasper's arms. "She always seemed so vibrant and full of life… I never realized that she was sad… she never let me see that. But life here, being the Police chief's wife and keeping a good home, baking cookies, playing Stepford, that just wasn't for her. She loved Charlie and me, I know this, but the life she was living, it just wasn't the one for her and she started to fade. The light in her eyes slowly dimmed and her laugh, the same one that had been so hypnotic and contagious began to get more and more rare. It was almost as if she was being drained by this, all of it." I gestured weakly at the trees surrounding us and the skies overhead. "She was there and then; all of a sudden she was gone." My voice trembled as I continued. "She just went to sleep one night and never woke up. Respiratory arrest that was the official cause." I shook my head and a single tear rolled down my cheek, my voice barely a whisper, "she always said she wanted to go in her sleep" Jasper's arm tightened slightly around me and he kissed my head, his calloused fingers gently wiping the stray tear from my cheek.

"Thank you for telling me Angel." His voice was gentle and soft, the emotion behind his words evident. I nodded slightly and slipped my hand into his, squeezing softly. We sat in silence and watched the sun as it ducked lower towards the horizon bathing the world in the pale purple and golds of twilight.


	7. Christmas Bells

**What I own: several pairs of amazingly awesome stripper heels, a meager book collection, a ton of make-up from Sephora, a filthy mouth and a bunch of Twilight DVD's What I don't: Twilight itself. That belongs to SMeyer and, despite a strong physical resemblance, I'm not her. If Twilight were mine, there would be lots more…fun to be had. I'm making nothing off of this and no copyright infringement is intended. I also don't own any of the movies used either. Well, the rights to them anyway, I have them on DVD.**

**I hope ya'll enjoy this little Christmas-y peek into the future of our two favorite kids…**

**Okay, this is unbeta'd at this time so ****Any and all mistakes are mine all mine. Major shout outs to my awesome ficwife Skychaser for endless handholding, skyping, encouragement, texts and bewbie gropes. I love her hard. And the ladies and gents over at the FFA and Going Under for the Third Time groups on Facebook….This story wouldn't exist without them, like, literally. Major shout outs to hobee1971 who made a GORGOUS banner for this piece…I still get tingles when I see it! I'm not below bribery and reviews will be rewarded with sneak peeks and possibly pole dances. Thanks for reading!**

I stifled a groan as I carefully straightened and braced myself on the wooden bookshelf next to me, using it help me rise up from the precarious crouching I had somehow managed to get into while re-shelving books and sighed as I finally stood straight up, resting my hand against my very round belly and glancing around the small, very crowded book store. We were hit hard with Christmas shoppers and, somehow, I had been relegated to re-shelving duty which I usually relished. Not today however. So far I had lost count of the number of cute little southern grandma types who had approached me and asked, simply, 'may I dear?' No, no you may not. Not unless you put it there. Sure it was one thing for Jaspers family to ask, and I usually responded in the positive, but I think that people kind of lost their minds when they saw a pregnant woman out in public. Jesus fuck people, my stomach was not here for your entertainment. Nor is my due date or the lack of a ring on my hand any. Of. Your. Fucking. Business. I know, I'm 27 weeks pregnant and prone to mood swings but, honestly? I was just bitchy today. My feet hurt, I was cold despite my long sleeved top and cardigan, I hadn't eaten in almost six hours and I just wanted to go home and take a nap. Besides that, people were pissing me off.

"Excuse me miss?" A high, almost nasally voice interrupted my little mental rant and I pasted a smile on my face before I turned to face whoever needed help.

"Yes?" I turned and came face to face with none other than Jessica and Lauren, friends of 'Jazzy's' and the drunken girls that I had so memorably encountered on a rather fateful elevator ride in New York City. Oh kill me now.

I desperately fought against rolling my eyes as their eyes searched me, scanning their small brains for who I was and why the hell they recognized me. Jessica's eyes grew wide with recognition and a small, nasty smile formed on her lips.

"Well hiii" She drawled all saccharine and bullshit.

"Hello" I responded flatly "can I help you find something today?" It killed me to be polite to these girls.

"Well yes- we're actually looking for-" Laurens squeaky voice began, before her friend rudely cut her off.

"You're Jazzy's-um-friend-right? We met in New York?" I cringed at the nickname that I knew he hated and nodded stiffly and I ignored the sarcasm that was more than evident in her tone.

Stealing my nerves I took a deep breath, "Yes, we did meet in New York and yes, I am a friend of Jasper's" I purposely emphasized his full name.

"How have you been dear?" Jessica's tone was not at all kind and even Lauren fidgeted nervously next to her, fingers twisted together and eyes on the floor.

"Pregnant." I stated with a bit more sarcasm than intended "And yourself?" Yes, it was not very nice, but I'm not in a very good mood.

"Well I can see that." She glanced down to my large belly and gave an evil grin. "What does Jazzy think?"

"Jasper-" The words were said through clenched teeth" Is quite pleased, thank you, as am I."

"Funny, he was always more into blondes when we were in school. Many of them actually. He and I spent some quality time together just before the trip. His...talents were...legendary. I don't remember how many of my friends he...spent time with" Acid dripped from her tongue as she spoke and her eyes were cold as she met mine and the implications of her statement not nearly lost on me.

"Huh." I muttered, refusing to let this petty little girl get the better of me." I guess people change."

"Oh not that much sweetie, and not that quickly. I'm sure he'll come back around" Fuck this girl was something else. I was blinking back tears as I cut her off. I will NOT let her get to me.

"I'm sorry Jessica, is there something I can help you find? As nice as it is to chat with you, as you can see we are very busy." I swallowed hard, refusing to let her see me more vulnerable than I was.

She screwed up her prissy little nose and smiled." No actually, I think we're all set. Thanks though Bella!" The false politeness in her voice caused me to clench my fists. "You'll tell Jazzy that we said hi won't you?" Malice dripped from her words.

"Of course. Have a merry Christmas. If you'll excuse me" I smiled as politely as I could manage and turned back to the shelf in front of me, mindlessly straightening the stores ridiculously large collection of gay porn books. What the fuck. Suddenly everything hit me. The lights were too bright, the music to loud, the customers way to cheerful. I needed to get. The. fuck. out. Like now. Still fighting tears I walked as quickly as I could on aching feet to my managers' office and tearfully informed her that I needed to leave. Being 12 weeks pregnant herself, Charlotte was beyond sympathetic and approved my request. I muttered a quick thank you to her before tearing my apron off in the break room, grabbing my bag, and heading out of there as fast as I could, not even saying goodbye to my coworkers. Only when I was seated in Esme's Lexus did I let the tears flow, and flow they did. I cried for everything that I had lost; my dad, my mother, my best friends that I no longer saw back in Forks and missed with all my heart. I cried for everything I had; Madeline, Rose, Emmett, Esme and Carlisle, Jasper. I cried about everything and nothing at the same time. I cried until I didn't have any tears left. It was only then I brought myself to turn the key in the ignition and begin the short drive home, and calmed a bit as the strains of Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt washed over me from the speakers. Fucking ironic.

Once I arrived back at the Whitlock home, I walked in and managed to slam the door, somewhere along my drive my hurt had turned to anger. God I can't believe that I let this bitch get to me. The harsh sound filled the parlor and startled Jasper and Rose who were sitting in the family room by the beautifully decorated Christmas tree and they both stood.

"Bella?" There was concern in Roses voice as she crossed to me, followed closely by Jasper who I couldn't seem to look at, "You okay honey" Her eyes searched me quickly for signs of distress, noting only my red rimmed eyes and slightly runny nose. Her voice was so filled with concern that it actually made me madder.

"Yes Rose, I'm peachy keen" I said bitterly, "excuse me." I turned away from her and headed quickly up the stairs, seeking the quiet and comfort of my room.

"Bella what-" Jasper's voice drifted up the stairs behind me and I slammed my door, not hearing the rest of his statement, not wanting to.

I lay on my bed and began to cry, the tears having returned full force, and I didn't even know why. My stomach growled and my head ached but I refused to go down to the kitchen for food. What the fuck.

My pillow was thoroughly wet by the time a gently knock sounded on my door.'go way' I muttered into my fluffy pillow, knowing full well it wouldn't do any good. Aaannnddd I was right. The door creaked open and then closed again and I heard Jasper's distinctive footfalls as he crossed the room to me, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Bella, honey what's wrong?" The concern was evident in his voice.

"Nothing. I'm fucking fine." Again, bitter and hurtful. I rarely swore out loud anymore and I think I could count on one hand the amount of times said language had been directed at Jasper.

"Um hon, I think you may be a little upset." His voice was unnervingly even and calm.

"Gee ya think?" Great. I was being a huge bitch and he was just trying to help.

"Yes, I think. What happened Bella? Talk to me darlin'" His words were pleading and he rested a hand on my hip, tracing tiny circles there.

"I ran into your friend Jessica at the store.-" I spit the girls name out vilely.

"Oh Christ Bella, is she what this is about?" Jasper sounded exasperated.

"Yes, Jazzy, that's what this is about." There was more than a hint of sarcasm in my voice. "She said hi."

"Bella what else did she say?"

"She just filled me in on your apparent attraction to vapid blondes...many of them." I pushed his hand off my hip and stood up. Fresh tears stung my eyes as I recalled the conversation and the delight in her eyes as she told me this.

"Many of them. Bitch" the words were muttered under his breath, "Bella, she was trying to get to you. Jessica Stanley is a catty, shallow little girl who has been trying to...sink her claws into me..."his words were careful, "for as long as I can remember."

I scoffed at him. "Bella, I'm not- I have no interest in anyone else, you know that."

"But what happens when you do Jasper? She said you were with her right before New York." My voice was raising and I knew I was being irrational. "Were you?"

'Bella-" He shook his head and ran his hands through his hair.

"Were. You. It's not hard question jasper and you're a smart boy." God I was a bitch.

"It wasn't like that- not with Jessica. We didn't-I never slept with her."

"What was it like then Jasper? Please enlighten me. What did you guys play Yahtzee? Maybe a little trivial pursuit?"I am a cold, miserable bitch.

"How many?"The words were cold and quiet, directly addressing the only thing we had never talked about. He knew, very obviously, that he was my first, and my only. I had never been able to ask about his past, far too afraid of the answers I might find. He was drop dead fucking sexy, charming as hell and he knew it. Yes we had danced about it but I had never come straight out and asked.

"What?" He looked shocked as he watched me sit back down next to him.

"How. Many. Girls." I have no doubt her could hear the hurt in my voice.

"Bella, I'm not-"

"Goddamn it Jasper, just answer the question!" I yelled, not caring who else was in the house and could hear us.

Jasper shook his head and sighed, both hands running through his already wild hair before he looked at me. "Eight." There was shame in his eyes, and my heart broke.

I took a deep, shuddering breath and closed my eyes before speaking again. "How many were-"

"Bella don't-"

"Tell me." My tone was firm and demanding. My heart, on the other hand, was slowly breaking.

"It doesn't matter Bella."

"It fucking matters to me!" I yelled. Why it mattered to me, I had no idea.

"Fuck" he mumbled, looking at his hands twisted in his lap. "Six." Six? Jesus.

"Including me?" My voice wavered as I asked the question. "Look at me."

His hazel eyes met my own and I felt tears slipping over my cheeks at what I saw there. "Seven." Seven. My mind flashed back to that night in New York, how careful he had been, the ease with which he had cared for me afterwards and I felt my stomach start to roll and my head started to spin.

"Get out."

"What?" He was shocked at my statement.

"Get. Out."

"Bella, it's not what you think it is." He pleaded, even as he stood to leave. I had to give him credit; he always respected my wishes even if they were wrong.

"Oh it's not huh? Tell me than Jasper, what do I think it is?" God I was being irrational, and I knew it. I just couldn't seem to shut my fucking mouth.

"They were- I-" he was tripping over his words and his eyes shone with tears.

"What Jasper? How the hell am I any different from them? You get what you were looking for? What needed some variety? Get sick of the blondes?" I stood, me head light, and gave him a weak shove ad he turned his back towards the door and continued walking.

"Isa-"

"What?" I yelled, striding closer to him, "What the hell is it about me that is so fucking special?"

"I didn't fucking love them!" He raised his voice and turned to me, his hands back in his hair.

"Wha-" My swimming mind struggled to wrap itself around his words as he continued.

"Isabella, I'm so in love with you I can't think straight! You are the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I see before I go to sleep! I look at you and I see Madeline" his voice softened as he mentioned our daughter" I see...a white dress and a church and babies and forever. God Bella. "The raw emotion in his voice was almost too much for me to take as he turned away

"Jasper I-" my words were muffled and he spun to look at me, concern written plainly over his face. My eyes went out of focus and a black hand passed in front of my eyes as my knees became weak. I felt Jasper's arms around me as I fell, his tear streaked face the last thing I saw as the world went black and I slipped into unconsciousness.

The constant, dull beeping slowly coaxed me from my slumber gently pulling me toward consciousness. My head ached, my mouth was dry and there was a dull pain in my left wrist. I shivered slightly and became aware of the scratchy sheets that made me aware that I was most definitely were not in my room at the Whitlock house. Scratchy sheets, cold, dull beeping...oh fuck me, I was in the hospital. Reality came slamming into me as I threw my hands to my abdomen. "Madeline" I muttered, my throat dry and scratchy.

"She's fine Bella" Carlisle's voice was quiet and sincere as I glanced around the room to find the gentleman sitting in a chair in the corner, lab coat on and a chart in his lap.

"What hap-" My throat was aching and Carlisle rose and crossed the room, pouring me a small glass of water from the dusty rose plastic pitcher that sat on my bedside table. I gave a weak smile of thanks and accepted the cup with my non-IV'd right hand. The water was cool and crisp on my throat. "What happened Carlisle?"

He smiled down at me and sat on the edge of my bed. "You fainted Bella." I nodded, remembering as much," You blood sugar was low and you were quite dehydrated." I swallowed hard at his words and nodded again, my hand still resting on my stomach, fingers rubbing small circles on it, unconsciously trying to soothe my daughter.

"Now I know you were under some" he paused delicately "stress today, but Bella you need to take better care of yourself. Not just for you. For Madeline, for Jasper, for us" I could see the tears shining in his eyes in the dim light and willed myself not to cry."You're part of this family now and we'll help you in any way we can. Please, Bella let us help you." Carlisle pleaded.

How could I deny him anything? How could I deny any of the Whitlock's anything? I loved them and they were a huge part of the only family I had left. I swallowed hard.

"I'll do everything I can Carlisle." He smiled at me and I felt the tears slip down my cheeks as he reached out a hand and patted my knee gently.

"It's alright Isabella" the words held warmth and tenderness."I'm going to have you stay here tonight "I nodded mutely as he continued" I have a few more tests I want to run, just to make sure you and Madeline are doing as well as possible" There was a swell of pride in his voice as he said his granddaughters name.

I sniffled to cover a small sob that threatened to escape and smiled, "Thank you Carlisle" I whispered, squeezing his hand softly.

I jumped softly at the small knock at the door. "Come in" my voice wavered slightly when I saw a familiar curly blond head peek around the door and found myself fighting tears once more.

"Jasper" My voice broke and tears streamed down my cheeks as he entered the room and I took in his appearance: his hair was unruly under his black cowboy hat, flannel shirt half untucked over his green t-shirt and his eyes, shone with tears as he crossed the room in four long strides to sit by my side, wrapping me in his arms. He looked broken and I felt tears dampening the scratchy sheets and itchy gown. I wrapped my arms around him to the best of my ability and clung to him as if he was a lifeline, because he was. I don't know how long we sat like that but when I finally looked up Carlisle had exited and we were alone in the room.

"Jasper" The word was barely a whisper and he looked up, his beautiful eyes rimmed with red and sparkling with tears. "I don't-I'm sorry" I stuttered, trying to fight the fresh wave of tears that washed over me.

"Shhh" he whispered, comforting me quietly and stroking my hair, "its okay darlin', you have nothing to be sorry for" The words were spoken into the top of my head and punctuated with a small kiss. "Carlisle told me love. It's okay"

I sniffed and buried my face in his neck, breathing in his familiar, relaxing scent and nodding.

"I didn't mean it Jasper" I mumbled, pieces of our earlier conversation floating back into my mind

"I know, my Bella, I know" I could feel the care in his voice as he gently rubbed my back.

"No Jasper, I was-"

"Bella, stop for a second." He pulled back out of my arms and sat back to look in my eyes as I closed my mouth and met his eyes.

"It's alright. I know you didn't mean it but you had every right to ask me what you did, and you have every right to all of your feelings." I opened my mouth to speak but he stopped me, gently placing his index finger over my lips" Please, let me finish." And I nodded, how could I refuse him anything?

"I know that I have made some..." he paused delicately and seemed to be searching for a word" mistakes in the past but Bella, they don't mean anything." Jasper grasped my hands softly in his and continued, as our earlier conversation continued to float back to me, bit by bit. "Bella you are my life now. You and Madeline. I just-" His voice trailed off as he met my eyes again." I meant it Bella, every word" I nodded mutely, as his parting words of earlier drifted to the forefront of my mind.

"I love you Bella" He whispered, his eyes never leaving my own as he spoke and I felt the wetness spreading down my cheeks, yet again and nodded like a fool, wrapping my arms around him tightly.

"I love you Jasper" The words were barely a whisper and he pulled back a bit, meeting my eyes, a dazzling smile on his face.

"Say it again, angel?" He pleaded softly.

I smiled back up at him." I love you Jasper" I felt the smile form and did nothing to hide it, feeling the heat rise into my cheeks as Jaspers lips met my own in a sweet, loving kiss.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face as we pulled away from each other slowly and he repositioned himself to hold me gently, his large hands resting on my abdomen, graceful fingers tracing loops and whirls on my tummy as I leaned my head back and rested it on his shoulder closing my eyes softly and sighing.

"Bella?" His voice was halting, almost cautious.

"Hmmm?" I mumbled blissfully.

"I need to get up love"

I nodded and repositioned carefully, not wanting to dislodge my IV. Jasper unfolded his lanky frame from behind me and stood, tossing his hat on the chair and running his hands through his hair before meeting my eyes.

"What's wrong Jasper?"

"I-um-ah-" Jasper stumbled over his words and I watched him pace the tiny room.

"Jasper, what's wrong?" I fought to keep the panic from my voice and he stopped next to my bed, taking my hand and meeting my eyes, smiling softly as he lowered himself to one knee and pulled a small wooden box out of his pocket. Oh my god. I opened my mouth but no words came out...again.

"Isabella Marie Swan" His voice was soft as he carefully took my IV'd left hand in his own and I felt tears spring to my eyes," I am completely, head over heels in love with you. I can't imagine my day of my life without you." He swallowed hard and opened the box revealing a glittering diamond, "Would you..."He paused for a moment as his voice broke, "Would you do me the honor of being my wife?"

My head was spinning as I looked at him, trying to take everything in; Jasper on one knee, tears shining in his eyes, the small box with the gleaming ring, the constant beeps of the machines. Taking a deep, trembling breath I shook my head with a smile, words still eluding me as he slipped the ring on my finger before standing and wrapping me in his arms.

"My Bella" He whispered into my hair and we held each other as the tears began to flow.

"Well it's about time!" Rosalie's cheerful voice broke through our reverie and we pulled apart quickly to see her peering around the doorway.

"Rose." Jasper's voice held a bit of an edge, but he eyes were bright.

I laughed softly and elbowed him lightly in the arm. "Please come in Rose."

She complied, entering the room with a small duffel bag in one hand and a vase of pale pink peonies in the other, followed closely by Emmett and Esme, holding green and blue flowers respectively.

"Thank you Bella" She said, setting the flowers on the window sill before kissing my head and handing me her black duffel bag. I smiled thanks and peeked in it, giggling as I saw a bit of familiar pink fur and I pulled out my teddy bear from Emmett who sat across the room with Esme.

''Thanks Rose" I grinned at her and kept looking in the bag, sighing as I found a black and white night gown and matching robe and slippers.

"You're a goddess" I said simply and smiled as she sat down on the side of the bed opposite Jasper.

"I know sweetie" Rose replied, teasingly."You wanna get changed?" I nodded quickly, sick beyond belief of the stiff hospital Johnny, even as she transferred my IV bag to a pole for the trip to the bathroom and Jasper stood to help me. "I don't think so Jasper, give the girl a break." At Rose's playful glare he sat back down quickly, pointedly ignoring the soft laughter coming from both Esme and Emmett. "Come on Bella" She said softly helping me up for the dreaded cross room trek, ignoring the draft on my backside. We were in the hospital for Christ sakes. Rose followed me into the tiny room, pulling the door behind us as I sat on the small stool and slowly shrugged off the johnny and pulled the soft cotton gown over my head, Rosalie helping me maneuver the IV bag through my left sleeve. "So how are you fe-" Her words died off with a gasp as she caught my hand.

"Bella is that-Did my brother-" He questions remained unfinished as she examined the ring on my finger, tears springing to her eyes and I just nodded as she embraced me. "I knew it" She whispered sweetly before releasing me. "It suits you Isabella"

"Thank you Rose" I said with a smile "That means more than you'll know" I wiped my tears and stood, tying the robe above my belly and standing slowly.

"Of course honey" she gave me a blinding smile and gestured to the door, "Come on sweetie, you have a lot to tell"

I grinned at her and we headed back to join her family in my room once again.

I smiled at Esme and Emmett as I headed back into the room, maneuvering around Jasper to get back in bed while Rosalie replaced my IV bag on the bed pole and Jasper placed an arm around my shoulders as I adjusted myself trying to get comfy on the miserable, hard bed.

"How are you feeling Bella?" Esme's voice was kind and soft, as usual.

"I'm okay." I said, and I was. I felt about a thousand times better than I had earlier that day, weather that was due to the IV fluids, the rest, and the miserable hospital food or by the presence of my family, I was not sure.

"Good honey, I'm glad to hear it." She smiled peacefully as she crossed the room towards the bed and embraced me gently, "Welcome to the family darling girl" Her words were soft and loving and, once again, I felt my eyes moisten.

"Thank you Esme" I could practically feel the smile from Jasper as his mother pulled away from me and hugged him in turn.

Once again, hot tears flowed down over my cheeks as I took in the scene that was unfolding around me and basked in the warmth and love of my family.

**Pups fic rec corner: Okay kids, I am a bit bias with today's rec. Classic Elegance by HottyGurl7. Jasper+Bella+Esme= DEAD. Seriously. This fic was actually written for me through a gift exchange and, honestly? I cry a little every time I read it it's so amazing. Go give it a read even if it's not your usual thing. Go one babes, pop your cherry and don't forget to review and tell her Pups sent you!**


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